Hellhound
by lil miss darkside
Summary: After a complicated Final Battle, Harry stayed in his animagus form. Thousands of years later, he is found in Crematoria by Riddick. After a Necromonger invasion, they seek revenge together and end up finding a perfect match in each other. Slash, H/R.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The sound of shouting and the raised voices of several men echoed through the stone room. Cold silvery eyes looked up from a sleek, catlike head to assess the origins and meaning of the noises that grew louder. Sharp spikes rustled and quivered, making an eerie sound like wind rushing through dead grass. The spikes that covered the graceful predator slowly bled from a cool charcoal black to an angry red as the creature stood, wary and ready to defend itself and its pack.

Glancing around, the intelligent silver eyes took in the forms of its pack. While the other creatures looked exactly like it in appearance, they all knew that he was something different entirely. Nonetheless, they had been together for too long not to trust him to protect them. After all, he might not have started out that way, but now he was their alpha in truth.

Four other massive forms stood in the dim light of the room, readying themselves as their alpha did, spikes rustling and turning red.

The alpha glanced at them once again, grateful that there were no young to be concerned about, and then focused on the door. The humans that he knew to be the wardens of this damp stone prison were making a great deal of noise, something that he knew usually signified new prisoners and a feeding time. The five predators stood patiently, awaiting the buzzer that would signify their mealtime.

Finally the obnoxious noise came, and the iron bars that caged in the creatures opened with a rusty clang. The alpha led the way, bounding through the stone tunnels like a tiger.

His nose twitched, allowing him to take in and sort through the complex scents that assaulted him. The sounds of shrieks and high-pitched screams of terror and pain told him that his packmates had begun their hunting and feeding, and his upper lip curled. The skittering of heartbeats reached his ears, and the sound of blood pulsing wildly through terrified bodies brought up his bloodlust. Roaring, he began leaping towards his prey.

A few seconds later, his jaws covered in blood, he reveled in satiating his hunger. New prisoners did not come very often, and the wardens only released them to feed when the prison became overpopulated, which meant that he and his pack had not fed in several months.

A voice in the back of his mind spoke up, reminding that he did not have to stay in this dank hole. A human side of him still remained, enough to access the magic that he had been born with and had once used on a regular basis. The alpha creature that was the front of his consciousness snarled at the voice, telling it that they had not been human for many millennia, and they couldn't leave their pack. After all, their first pack had been killed back when they were so very young.

The human voice settled again, content to bide its time to blend with the foremost part of the creature's mind. They didn't have a reason to leave, after all. Not really. It wasn't as if they could die down in this god-forsaken hole.


	2. Chapter 1

**Ch 1**

Riddick grinned out at the dark, more of a vicious curl of the lips than any truly happy expression. After his strength-intensive escape from the cuffs and chain that had hung him suspended over the floor, he felt like finding a nice, quiet corner to sit in and plot how best to escape. There was no doubt in his mind that he could, simply a need to establish how best to do it. But first, he had to deal with his company.

A jagged blade whistled towards him from behind him, and he ducked and twirled in a single flowing movement. Grabbing the wrist of the degenerate who had tried to stab him, he snapped it with a quick twist and some pressure, and kicked them in the chest back into the darkness. A quiet sob told him of the pain he had inflicted, and he felt savage glee at it. His adrenaline and blood pumping, Riddick dodged the next swipe of a blade and moved behind them, breaking that person's neck with a quick headlock and a snap.

When the next inmate tried to make his move, he snagged their blade from them with a deft flick of his wrist. Riddick slit the man's throat and threw the body at the feet of the crowd of inmates that had gathered. Finally deciding to leave him alone for the time being, the group of dirty men murmured and shuffled back into the darkness of the outside ring of the pit.

Riddick wiped the bloody blade on one of the corpses of the men he had killed, deciding to keep it for the time being. That done, he walked into the darkness and smiled to himself as he removed the black goggles that shielded his light-sensitive eyes. Reveling in the play of purples and whites that was his natural vision in the pitch blackness, Riddick allowed himself to relax.

As if mocking him, the buzzer went off barely a second later. Riddick tensed, going into a defensive crouch. Around him, the same men that had been trying to kill him began screaming and running in every which direction. Deciding to take cover until he figured out what was happening, Riddick ducked underneath a small waterfall and hid in an alcove behind it. He listened curiously as pain-filled shrieks met his ears, along with the wet sound of ripping flesh.

A large shadow stalked past his waterfall, and Riddick held his breath at the sheer size of the creature that he could see the outline of. Suddenly, the massive broad head shoved through the waterfall and stared at him, cool silver eyes meeting cool silver eyes.

Riddick held still, tense and wary, simply holding the eyes of the predator that stood before him. A large part of his mind was captivated by the sight of the animal, admiring the sleek spikes and broad jaws. And those eyes...Riddick suddenly thought that if this was how people felt when they met his silver eyes, then he understood the fear they felt. To him, though, there was no fear, only admiration and respect.

Right as Riddick thought that the creature might finally lunge to try to rip out his throat, it instead stepped forwards slowly and nuzzled his chest. Hardly able to believe it, he slowly raised a hand to stroke it gently down the side of the head and neck. It allowed him to, half-lidding its eyes in pleasure and rustling the spikes softly.

"You're a beauty," Riddick murmured, using both hands to stroke down the flattened grey spikes. A faint noise caught his attention and he smirked to realize that the massive beast was making a noise almost like purring, but deeper and with more rumble. Emboldened, Riddick stepped out from behind the waterfall at the creature's size, amused when it came out with him and leaned against his thigh, making that same purring rumble.

A gasp met his ears, and Riddick looked up to see a convict plastered against the nearby stone wall, wide-eyed at the massive predator purring against Riddick's leg like an overgrown housecat. The buzzer sounded, calling the creatures back from their feeding time. The catlike predator heaved a great sigh, and Riddick ran a hand smoothly down the spikes on its back.

"You tamed it?" The incredulous voice of the convict reminded Riddick of his presence, and Riddick narrowed his eyes at the man at the thought of anyone taming this mighty, proud creature. Before Riddick could retort, though, the creature did it for him. It mock-lunged at the man, snarling and rattling its spikes menacingly. Riddick laughed as a large wet spot formed on the man's grungy pants, and the creature tossed a look that could only be described as a smirk over its shoulder before bounding off.

* * *

He didn't much like being called back to his cell like a common prisoner or puppy dog, but knew from experience that it was easier to just let the wardens think they had the upper hand and obey when they called. Otherwise, they used the zapper-sticks on his packmates, and then he had to kill them, and it just got messy. Not that he was opposed to messiness and bloodshed, but he figured it was easier to just avoid it with the wardens unless he had no other choice.

As he loped easily back to the stone room that he and his pack were kept, his thoughts kept returning to the interesting man he had just met. Those eyes...he wondered how the man had the eyes of such a predator. Not that he didn't have the body of a predator too, since he certainly did. He forced his mind back on topic, for the first time in at least several centuries wishing he was in his human form, because that man made things tighten low in his belly. The sweat gleaming off of the bulky and defined muscles, the tense crouch that showed the man's primal instincts...he wanted him. This could only be one man: the one that the wardens had been talking about for weeks now. The Riddick.

As he reached the cell and found his pack already waiting for him, he decided then and there that Riddick would be his. He didn't care how or whether or not Riddick liked it, Riddick would be his mate.

* * *

The next feeding call was only two days later, as the prison received a large shipment of new inmates at the same time as Riddick, and needed the prisoner populated weaned a little. Inwardly, Riddick was eager to see if the creature came back. In his head, he had dubbed them as Hellhounds, though they resembled large felines more than canines. As the buzzer sounded and everyone scrambled for the safety of the cells with their barred doors, Riddick stood in the middle of a walkway and watched the mayhem. He was slightly surprised to see that the Hellhound he had befriended a couple of days ago seemed to be the leader, and was a good bit larger than the rest of the pack.

Riddick watched with amusement and appreciation as the Hellhound, hungry from not getting a chance to eat the last time, took down a running, screaming man as a lion would a gazelle. It landed on the man's back and sank its teeth around the back of the man's neck, snapping the neck as it rode the body to the ground. Quickly and efficiently, it tore and swallowed large chunks of the man's flesh.

Seeming to know that it was being watched, the Hellhound raised its muzzle from the bloody carcass in front of it and locked eyes with Riddick, licking some stray blood from its chops as it did so. Riddick stared back, wondering what dark thought was passing through the creature's mind to give him a look like that.

* * *

He stared up at Riddick, absently licking some blood from his lips. He felt nice and full, the warm meat settling into his stomach with a pleasant weight. However, no amount of meat would satisfy the craving he currently felt for Riddick, gazing up at the lean, well-built body and intent stare. He suddenly wanted to be tasting some of Riddick's blood, wanted to pin Riddick to a wall and watch a trickle of blood run down his chest. He shook his head abruptly, reminding himself that he was not in his human form. He waited for a voice in the back of his head to tell him that he could be, to hear his human side speak up, only to realize that for the first time in a very long time, his human side had merged with his animal side. Deciding not to ponder on what this might mean, he broke off his stare with Riddick and returned his attention to finishing off the carcass in front of him.

Once he was finished, bloated enough that the food would satisfy him for quite some time if they didn't get to feed again for a long time, he looked back up. To his surprise, Riddick wasn't in the same place anymore. Leaving the bloody bones of his prey behind, he stalked off through the passages, determined to find Riddick. He scented the air, tracking Riddick's distinctive leather-and-metal scent through the twisting stone corridors.

He stopped at the entrance to one of the crude cells, seeing Riddick spread out on one of the hard mattresses, facing him in the doorway. Riddick lay on his side, appearing to be resting, though he could just barely make out the sliver of silver that told him that Riddick was awake and watching him. He stood in the doorway staring at Riddick for several long minutes, undecided as to whether he should go over to him and curl up next to him or leave and tell himself that he didn't want this beautiful man.

His decision was made for him when Riddick propped his head up on his arm and beckoned for him to come over. He was halfway across the room before he even realized he had decided to move, and scowled at himself for obeying Riddick that easily.

"You're not like the rest of them, are you?" Riddick asked rhetorically, patting the mattress in front of him as a gesture of welcome. He leapt up lightly, curling himself into a tight ball, his spikes laying down smoothly with his relaxed mood. Riddick's arm trailed over his back and side, resting heavily. They lay there in silence for several long minutes, before he heard Riddick's breathing even out and deepen. He realized with no small measure of amazement that Riddick had actually trusted him enough to sleep in his presence, in what he guessed was Riddick's first real rest since coming to Crematoria. Determined not to do anything to harm that trust and feeling oddly warm at the thought of it, he settled himself in to guard his would-be mate's back.

Fortunately, the wardens had apparently decided to leave the Hellhounds out for a long day, and so they were undisturbed for several hours. He watched over Riddick faithfully the entire time, eyes narrowly open and gazing at the open doorway and ears perked.

The sound of shuffling boots on the stone floor caught his ears, and he lifted his massive head slowly. A group of five convicts walked to the doorway and stood there, leering at Riddick

"Oh shit, it's one of them!" One of the men in the back of the group screeched, catching sight of him in front of Riddick's prone body. He noticed that Riddick had come awake when he raised his head, and was now feigning sleep to see what would happen.

"Doesn't matter, we'll just kill it first then," one of the others said, shrugging and pulling out a foot-long blade. While looking hesitant, the others followed his example, pulling out various weapons. They shuffled forwards into the small room, spreading out.

He stood slowly, allowing his size and presence to intimidate them before he even really moved. The spikes covering his body began to stand on end and rattle loudly, turning a vibrant crimson. He lifted a lip and snarled, his body crouched so that he was standing protectively over Riddick.

One man, the one who had spoken first, mumbled something from a very pale face, and took off through the door. The others looked leery of daring to attack him as well, but the leader of the gang from before took the first move. Lunging forward, he swung the blade from above and to the side.

He leapt at him, his body twisting in midair to avoid the blade and hit the man's body. Once he had moved, Riddick sat and jumped from the bed in a fluid movement, pulling out his own shiv and taking out one of the convicts with a slash to his throat.

The man that the Hellhound had leapt at was in a bloody puddle on the floor, his throat torn out in a single savage rip. He ripped the arm off of another man, leaving him screaming and defenseless on the floor, bleeding out at a rapid pace. The last convict took off out the door, only to meet his violent end a moment later as the Hellhound bounded after him and tore his spine out from behind. Smug at the ease with which he had dispatched the would-be killers, the Hellhound loped back into the cell, eyeballing the remaining dying man.

"Demon! Demon!" the man shrieked madly, spittle flying from his lips as he raised his remaining arm to point at the Hellhound.

Riddick's laughter drew the Hellhound's attention from the dying man.

"Well, I suppose now I have a name for you. Demon it is," Riddick rumbled at him, still grinning. The newly dubbed Demon considered it for a moment, gazing at Riddick, then nodded to himself and decided it was an acceptable name. Since he didn't entirely remember his own name anymore after so many years, he supposed Demon would work as well as any other.

The man began screaming, having evidently lost his mind from the pain. Demon growled in annoyance, stalking past Riddick and silencing the pest with a single large crunch.

Riddick looked from the Hellhound's bloody jaw to the man's crushed skull and whistled lowly in appreciation. Knowing those powerful jaws were capable of crushing a man's skull was one thing, seeing it in action was another thing entirely. Demon licked the blood from his jaws fastidiously, gazing at Riddick.

"I suppose a thanks is in order," Riddick murmured, gazing back, meeting silver eyes with his own. To his fascination, the creature seemed to understand exactly what he was saying, and dipped its head in what he could only see as acceptance of the thanks.

Demon snorted in amusement at the look of surprise and wonder on Riddick's normally stoic face, and wondered if he should try to keep himself from acting as anything other than a moderately intelligent animal. Nah, he decided, better to keep him guessing.

The buzzer sounded then, loud and harsh in the quiet that had fallen. Demon growled quietly to himself, aggravated to have to leave his Riddick so soon. As he passed Riddick, Riddick's hand shot out and rested on his shoulder, making him pause in his steps. When Demon looked up at Riddick questioningly, he saw eyebrows knitted together in confusion and frustration. Demon licked the man's arm reassuringly, his tongue rasping roughly against the man's salty skin. Interestingly enough, Riddick's eyes closed briefly and he seemed to shiver for a split second, before catching himself and staring evenly at the Hellhound.

Demon leapt away, needing to get out and away from Riddick before he did something stupid, like change forms and take Riddick right then and there. The visual of himself and Riddick fighting for dominance made him shudder and run faster, trying to put these dangerous thoughts out of his head.

Of course, nothing stays simple forever.

* * *

Later that night, Demon lay with his pack in a restless mood, unable to sleep. Suddenly, his ears caught the sound of shouting, and he perked up. It was too late in the night for it to be from a regular prisoner drop, which was why it caught his attention as unusual. As he lay, listening intently, his eyes widened at what he heard being discussed. Apparently a group of planet-killing religious fanatics called the Necromongers were seeking Riddick in order to kill him, and had followed to Crematoria the merc who had brought Riddick in. The wardens were shouting at one another over whether to try to trade Riddick for their collective safety, or simply leave Riddick and the other prisoners and make a run for it.

Once he had heard enough to be informed and the arguments had become repetitive, Demon went into action. Barely stopping long enough to think about the potential consequences of his actions, he went to the locking mechanism on their cell and infused his long-inactive magic into his nose. Focusing his intent, the magic pulsed and the lock clicked open. He growled for his pack to stay put for the time being and stalked out into the corridors, careful to avoid being detected by the arguing wardens or any of the guards nearby.

Once free of the immediate area, he broke into a long lope and went for Riddick's cell, hoping against hope that the man would still be there. So focused was he on getting to Riddick's cell that he didn't notice the wardens and guards striding along behind him, intent on going to the same place. They had arrived at the decision to try to trade Riddick to the Necromongers, and were setting out to capture him in order to do so.

Demon skidded through the door to Riddick's cell, spikes raised halfway in his rush and anxiety. Upon seeing him, Riddick sat up from the bed that he had been laying in once again. Demon paused long enough to notice that Riddick must have dragged the bodies elsewhere, since fresh blood was still on the floor but there were no bodies. Before he had time to figure out a way to communicate to Riddick what was going on, the wardens and guards swept around the corner and stood in the doorway. Without pause, two of the guards raised their guns, which had non-lethal electric charges in them for the purpose of stunning and capturing inmates in similar situations, and aimed them at Riddick.

Without any thought or hesitation, Demon flung himself in the way of the two projectiles that were fired a moment later. They caught him in his side and chest, pulsing strongly. He collapsed to the floor, his magic rising instinctively to fight the affects of the charges. However, his magic found the form he was currently in to be a problem at the moment for fighting the electricity, and began the change back to human.

Wardens, guards, and Riddick alike stood frozen as they watched the play of blue light over the form on the ground. A long snarl of pain slowly turned into a human scream of agony as bones popped and realigned, the glow finally fading to leave a slim but muscular man on the floor.

Never one to waste an opportunity, Riddick seized the chance and leapt at the wardens and guards while their guard was down. Stabbing fatally in the side, slashing arteries and throats, spinning and using his victims as meat-shields from the others' shots and blows, Riddick decimated the small group effortlessly. Once he was finished, he wiped his blade clean and turned to face the fallen figure on the floor.

Only to not find it there.

He heard a whistling noise and turned, expecting to be attacked by the man that had been on the floor, and instead was met with the surprising view of the man leaping past him to smash the skull into the ground of one of the guards. Riddick had apparently been careless and the guard was still alive, just barely, and had raised his gun to shoot Riddick in his final moments.

Riddick watched, face impassive, as the Hellhound-turned-man stood up and turned to face him, nude as the day he was born. Despite never having been one for admiring the male figure much before, Riddick found that he couldn't help himself. He started at the bottom, admiring lean calves and muscular but slim thighs, a package well-endowed enough to make even him feel like blushing, a flat and toned stomach, bulky and defined chest and arms, and the most gorgeous face he had ever seen on a man. Dark hair hung in shaggy clumps around an aristocratically proportioned face, with a straight nose and lush lips. His eyes...Riddick started visibly when he realized that the man still had the silver eyes of the Hellhound.

The man smirked, showing off teeth that were too sharp and canines that were too long to ever pass for human.

"Like what you see?" His voice was husky and deep with disuse, his tone amused as he stepped towards Riddick with a purr. Riddick resisted the urge to step back, swallowing.

"Who...what the fuck are you? And why did you protect me?" he demanded, trying to regain the upper ground. Demon frowned, glancing at the ground.

"I'm old...very old," he finally said. "From a long-since extinct race of humans. We have two forms, our human one and a select animal. Mine was, as you saw, the Hellhound. I've been here for a very long time."

"Why would you stay in this dump?" Riddick asked, glancing around at the dingy stone walls and floor.

"No reason to leave," Demon replied, raising a shoulder and dropping it in a parody of a shrug.

"Why did you protect me? From the guards?" Riddick repeated, an intent look on his face. Demon's face twisted and he growled quietly.

"Because I wanted to," he said quietly. "Because I want you as my mate." Riddick stared at him in disbelief for a long moment, ignoring the part of his mind that agreed with the concept with great enthusiasm.

"Your...mate?" he repeated. Demon growled again, louder this time.

"Yes, but look. We don't have time for this right now. I came down here to give you important information, and you killing the wardens only made the time window smaller. Not that I think you should have done anything else," he added, disdainfully curling a lip at the dead wardens and guards.

"What kind of important information? What's going on?" Riddick demanded, stepping forward.

"Necromongers are after you, they're coming here, now that the wardens are dead and there's no chance of a tidy trade they'll probably just raid the prison to get you. That sort of important information." Demon watched Riddick's face for recognition of the Necromongers, and received it when Riddick briefly closed his eyes and then opened them again with a hateful glare filling them.

"Those bastards. I'll kill them," Riddick growled.

"Maybe later, for now we need to escape. There's got to be a lot of them coming, they won't underestimate you," Demon pointed out. No sooner had he said that than an alarm began going off, accompanied by gunfire and the screams of dying men. He closed his eyes. "We're too late."

"We can still escape, we'll get out of here and steal one of their ships," Riddick suggested, looking determined. Suddenly Demon gasped and clutched his head, looking confused for a moment. His eyes went cloudy and he staggered, then straightened and looked murderous.

"They're attacking my pack. They're murdering my pack!" he shouted, and gave a loud scream of rage that turned into a yowl as he changed back into his Hellhound form. Before Riddick could say or do anything to stop him, he took off down the corridor. Cursing, Riddick ran after him.

Outside, it was a chaotic bloodbath. The Necromongers who swarmed the place were definitely the ones with the advantage of superior numbers and weapons, but that didn't mean that the inmates were giving up without a fight. They attacked back viciously, dying but determined to take out some Necromongers with them.

Riddick caught sight of Demon wading through a group of them ahead, tearing off limbs with ease. He dove into the chaos after him, stabbing and slicing and ducking and spinning through the crowd with a bloody trail of bodies behind him.

He knew when Demon found his pack, because a loud inhuman scream of absolute fury rose up over the din. He came out of the crowd to see Demon crouched in front of four bodies, the spiked corpses literally torn apart with bullets. Demon stood back up fully, and looked at Riddick without seeming to really even see him. Riddick recognized the murderous mindset when he saw it, but couldn't let Demon get killed as he surely would if he went back out there again. As Demon went to leap past him, Riddick caught him around the neck and held him up in a headlock. Ignoring the furious twisting and writhing that the Hellhound did to try and free itself, he carefully walked them back into one of the tiny tunnels, away from the chaos of the pit. Here there were no Necromongers or inmates, only silence with the distant echo of battle.

Demon was still trying to escape and go kill Necromongers, and Riddick felt a sharp stab of pity and sympathy for the creature who had to see his entire pack dead. He understood the desire for revenge, for sure, but he couldn't let the Hellhound go to his death. For some reason, the thought of Demon being another broken, bloody body on the floor made his stomach twist, and he was determined to get himself and Demon out of there and get their revenge together later. After all, they both needed revenge on these Necromonger motherfuckers.

At some point during Riddick pinning the Hellhound to the floor, Demon began to change to his human form. Riddick relaxed at first, thinking that this meant Demon was calming himself down, but quickly realized that Demon's body being human did not mean that his mind was not still consumed by the rage of the alpha Hellhound. Instincts that Riddick hadn't been aware he possessed rose to the fore of his mind, and he moved to pin Demon's slightly smaller body to the floor with his own. Demon scrabbled, using fists and nails and feet to no avail as Riddick took the abuse and remained steady. Desperate with fury and mindless with the animal instincts at the front of his mind, Demon snapped his teeth as though he were still the Hellhound, finally getting a chunk of Riddick's shoulder.

Riddick roared in pain, and responded by asserting his dominance. Slamming the other man's wrists to the floor, Riddick leaned in and bit a good chunk of the junction of neck and shoulder of Demon, holding it firmly between his teeth. As though a switch had been flipped, Demon stilled and leaned his neck further to the side, baring his neck.

Slowly, ready to react again if Demon began flipping out again, Riddick released the chunk of flesh he held between his teeth. Once it was released, he licked the wounded spot gently, sniffing the spot and a part of his brain was pleased that it smelled like him now, that he had marked Demon as his own.

Despite the part of his brain that was roaring at him to take further action to assert his dominance and claim, Riddick knew that this was neither the time nor the place for anything else. Instead, he closed his eyes briefly to gather his thoughts and coherency, and exhaled slowly, releasing the tension. Unknown to him, Demon lay below him doing nearly the same thing.

"We need to get out of here, first," he stated once he was calm. He looked down at Demon, whose eyes glinted as he bared his teeth at the idea of running. "Look, I don't like it any better than you do, but if we stay here then it's a simple fact that we will die," Riddick pointed out. "Do you know if there are any spare ships?"

Demon was silent for a long moment, until Riddick was unsure as to whether he would even answer. "Yeah. Wardens always kept a few spares in the hangar, but we'll have to go right by the Necromonger ship to get to them," he responded finally.

"So we get to kill some of the motherfuckers then," Riddick offered, a vicious smile on his lips. Demon curled his lips in return.


	3. Chapter 2

**Ch 2**

_A/N: I never really believed the power of reviews and of people reading your work before now. In the past, when I would read other author's notes and hear them go on about how excited they were to get reviews, I never really understood it. I do now! It really is motivating to write more, so if you like it, or even if you don't, please review and tell me what you liked or didn't like, what you'd like to see more of or instead, and I'll try to accomodate! Thanks!_

It irked him to give any sort of control to anyone else, but Riddick reluctantly allowed Demon to lead him through the twisting caverns and tunnels to the hangar, knowing that Demon knew the way and it would be more efficient that way. If Demon felt any of the tension or the dark glares directed at his back, in Hellhound form, he gave no sign of it.

Out of practicality, they avoided the majority of the fighting, preferring to save their energy for the true fight, when they reached the ships. However, that didn't mean that they remained unscathed.

At one point, the tunnel they were running down intersected with another, and they reached the intersection at the same time as three Necromongers and one of their freakish scanning pets, the Lensors. The Lensor had just enough time to give a crackling, hoarse shriek before Demon tore its throat out, while Riddick swiftly dealt with the Necromonger soldiers.

He stepped forwards, bringing his blade up, and sliced open the lesser-protected throat of the first soldier. A wet, hot spray of blood splattered his chest and neck, making him grin savagely. The next soldier was already coming at him by then, and he ducked the swing of a battleaxe. Sliding inside of the man's swing, Riddick stabbed his blade upwards through the bottom of the man's jaw, impaling through the roof of his mouth and into the brain above. With a rough wrench, he pulled the blade free again, and glanced for the third soldier.

While Riddick was dealing with the second soldier, Demon had launched himself at the last soldier, who looked as though he were watching a movie from a comfortable couch. Vaguely, in the back of his mind, Demon recalled the wardens discussing a particular aspect of the Necromongers. They had mentioned that these soldiers, once converted from their previous lives, felt no pain.

They might not feel pain, but that shouldn't make them so fearless, Demon thought as he closed his jaws around the man's head, crunching with a wet undertone. They should be intelligent enough to fear him! He cut off his victorious train of thought before it could get any more egotistical, grinning smugly through bloody catlike jaws at Riddick.

Riddick shook his head, gestured down the hall with one shoulder, and followed when Demon took that as his cue to resume their run towards the hangar. They didn't run into any more trouble after that, the tunnels remaining clear.

They both became tense, though, upon reaching the last corner. Both could hear the sounds of many men from around the corner, of vague voices and many boots stomping and metal armor scuffing. They paused to prepare themselves briefly, before exchanging a vicious look and flinging themselves around the corner and into the open air of the surface.

They silently agreed to remain close to one another, for though they were both used to fighting solo, the benefits of someone to watch your back were undeniable. Riddick ducked and dodged, his blade never ceasing in its lethal movement. Demon was a whirlwind of motion, blood splashing from torn throats and crushed skulls. Slowly but surely they worked their way towards the ships that were both a scant fifty yards away, when a loud boom stopped the soldiers and caught the duo's attention as well.

Opportunistic as always, Riddick didn't allow the momentary distraction to stop him, and took advantage of the inattention of the soldiers to slaughter a few dozen more in rapid succession. Demon followed his example, knocking down frozen soldiers and ripping their throats out savagely.

"Enough!" The call was loud and authoritative, and Riddick warily glanced at its source, his heart sinking. A heavily armored man stood at the front, his armor bearing enough sigils and symbols for it to be obvious that he was of high rank. Standing next to him was a lesser-ranked soldier, bearing a pulse-gun. Behind the two of them were a huge wave of soldiers, at least three times as many as they had already waded through. At the very sight of them, Riddick felt exhausted. A quick glance at Demon showed him to be in a similar state. While they had sustained no serious or mortal injuries, it was impossible not to have been injured, and both were covered in a score of minor, energy-sapping cuts and slices, though Riddick was injured more so than Demon due to the armor on the Hellhound.

"Finish them," came the command. The leader of the Necromongers, who could only be the Lord Marshall as the wardens had referred to him, turned on his heel and strode away. The other officer of rank gestured sharply, and the wave of soldiers marched towards them.

Demon turned briefly to glance at the sky, noting that the sun was getting very close to their position on the ground. If they were caught in it, they would be burned instantly, and that was one way to die that he had no desire to experience. A glance at Riddick showed him to be similarly aware of their shortening timeframe to escape, and a grim look was on Riddick's face at the awareness.

They turned their attention back to the approaching soldiers, determined to at least try to fight their way to safety and escape. The fighting picked back up as they met the first few soldiers, Demon launching himself at one's chest to knock him to the ground. Only a few moments in, though, Demon screamed in agony as the tip of a spear lanced through his shoulder, driving him to the ground and pinning him there. He watched through pain-glazed eyes as Riddick looked over at the scream, eyes going wide and then narrow at the sight of him being impaled.

For the life of him, Riddick wasn't quite sure what it was about the impending death of this particular companion that made his heart stop. He had fought alongside countless men before, had watched them die, and felt nothing more than a faint regret that they had died and he had not. This time, though, he felt a red hot fury at the idea that someone would take away what he had claimed as his. Staring at the fallen Hellhound body, those molten silver eyes dimming as the life faded from them, he felt a fury unlike any he had ever felt before overtake his mind.

Riddick roared with that rage, and with his hoarse shout came a blinding pulse of power. He collapsed to his knees and then forward onto the ground, feeling his vision slip away. As the blackness crept in on him, he watched the ranking officer step over to Demon, nudge him with the toe of a boot, and then walk over to his own body and do the same.

"They're both dead," the low voice of the officer reported. "Leave them, they'll both cook in a moment anyway."

At the thought of being roasted while still alive, however narrowly, Riddick struggled with his impending fall into unconsciousness. He had the presence of mind to wait to move until the sounds of the soldiers had faded, then began to fight his body into obeying his commands to get up. Slowly, painfully, he pushed himself onto his knees, then stood, feeling as though every muscle in his body had taken a thorough beating. Shocked, he looked around at the hundreds of corpses, the soldiers who had been fighting Riddick and Demon all charred on the ground.

He shuffled over to Demon's body, determined to at least keep the Hellhound's body and bury it or burn it somewhere with more of a chance for a solemn farewell than the indignity of being burned by the sun with the soldiers. As he scooped up the body of the Hellhound, a thirst for revenge began to slowly build in the back of his throat. He looked over at the Necromonger ship, which still had its hatch left open while they prepared for takeoff, and the beginnings of a plan formed in his mind. Riddick slowly walked over to the ship, carrying his burden carefully, and advanced up the hatch ramp.

Still holding Demon's body, he turned to watch as the sun closed in on the ground, the corpses sizzling and then disintegrating into ash as he watched. When the sun began to approach the hatch, the ramp closed with the hiss of hydraulics.

Finding himself in near-darkness in the cargo hold, Riddick turned to face the bowels of the ship and crouched to gently set down his burden. As the body touched the ground, though, he caught his breath. He could have sworn that a slight twitch ran through the spiked sides of the Hellhound. As he watched, eyes carefully searching the body for any signs of movement, a ripple went down Demon's spikes.

"That's it," he coaxed in a low voice. "Don't you fuckin' die on me." A moment later, silver eyes opened slightly, and Riddick allowed himself a small grin. "You tough son of a bitch," he murmured. The Hellhound whined softly in reply, then groaned as he began the painful change back to human.

Riddick winced internally at the damage done by the spear, much more visible on nude human skin than it had been on the armored sides of the Hellhound. Demon lay panting, eyes lidded heavily with pain.

"Lemme find something to bandage you up with," Riddick told him, standing to go find some sort of material to use as bandages. A long-fingered hand slipping around his leg to grasp at his ankle made him pause and look back down at Demon.

"Don't bother," Demon said hoarsely. "Give me a minute and I can heal myself." Riddick's eyebrows rose against his will at the thought of Demon somehow being able to heal the nasty gash on his chest. It bled heavily, which was problem enough, but the gasp of pain that Demon gave after speaking accompanied with the aborted movement towards his chest gave Riddick the impression that a rib or two had likely been broken in the deep stab that the spear had done.

Demon closed his eyes, forcing himself to ignore the pain and focus his mind and will towards what he wanted to do. As a child, back in what he privately thought of as his first life, he had been a very average student, and had failed utterly to grasp the ability to heal either himself or others. But in his lifespan since then of thousands of years, the sheer necessity of healing his body had rendered him very capable of doing so, and without the wand that he had needed in his first life to be able to perform his magic. It had taken over a century of meditation within his magic's core, and a great deal of practice, but he had long since mastered the ability to use his magic through thought and will alone.

As Riddick watched, filled with envy and admiration and disbelief at what he saw before his own eyes, the bleeding stopped. The smooth edges of the wound closed, filling in without any visible scar or seam. The discoloration of the surrounding area eased back to the normal light tan of the man's skin, and the ribs straightened and healed without so much as a crack of noise. Finally, no sign remained of the mortal wound other than the copious amounts of blood that covered Demon's torso and the floor around him.

He released a gusty sigh as the pain eased and his tense muscles relaxed, and slowly pushed himself to a sitting position. Dirty boots came into his field of vision, and Demon glanced up to see Riddick standing above him, holding out a hand with a blank expression. Demon took the hand, still staring at Riddick's face, and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. To his surprise, rather than step away as he pulled him up, Riddick stepped closer in, deliberately placing himself firmly within Demon's personal space.

Their chests brushed and Riddick closed his eyes, scenting the pungent coppery tang of Demon's blood. He re-opened his eyes to find Demon's silver eyes scant inches from his face, his few inches of additional height allowing him to look slightly down at the other man. His eyes flickered down almost against his will to rest on Demon's lips, and he took a breath and held it for several seconds before he was able to push away the desire to press his lips to those of the other man.

"Don't you ever fuckin' do that to me again," he grumbled, watching amusement fill Demon's eyes at his gruff way of showing that he cared.

"Try not to," Demon agreed lightly, stepping away. He could see that the larger man was battling against his own desires, and while he was determined to make the man his mate, he wanted Riddick to be the one to come to him. So he stepped away several paces, until they were far enough away as to not be physically distracting, and gathered his thoughts.

"How did we survive?" he asked finally, forehead wrinkling at the very valid question. Riddick paused, frowning.

"I'm not sure. I was pissed that you died, or at least I thought you did, and the next thing I knew, some bright light came out of nowhere and burned the motherfuckers to a crisp." Riddick looked slightly uncomfortable with the idea of a light killing his enemies, and Demon's eyebrows went up.

"Have you ever done anything like that before?" he asked, wondering if it was possible that this man was another strange survivor of the wizard race, or if another race of humans had somehow manifested the ability to use magic.

"No, never," Riddick answered quickly. Then he stilled, thinking back to the dreams he had had, and the feeling of a huge amount of rage that built after the appearance of a strange woman. The light was unfamiliar, but the rage right before it was not. He told Demon this, explaining his dreams about a woman named Shirah and the things that she had told him, about being the last Furyan and the rage of an entire race for being slaughtered. Demon looked thoughtful throughout the telling, and when Riddick concluded, he shrugged slightly.

"Well, so it doesn't sound as though your people had quite as developed of a magical core as mine did, but it definitely is there. Whatever it is and however it came about, for now it is rather irrelevant. It's too unreliable for now to count on it as a weapon, so until we have a chance for you to practice and experiment with it, we will just act as though it doesn't exist." He shrugged again, knowing that it was aggravating for Riddick to have to do so but determined that other things be more of a priority. Such as their location. "And where are we, anyway? I hear engines."

"The Necro ship," Riddick told him, looking grim. "I'm going to kill these bastards if it's the last thing I do." Demon nodded, eyes narrowing in fury as he thought back to his slaughtered pack. Yes, revenge was a necessity.

"I want the leader dead. The soldiers are just that: soldiers, following orders. They might have been the ones to do the dirty work, and enough of them have and will die, but the Lord Marshall is who I really want gone," he told Riddick flatly. Riddick nodded slowly, thinking.

"You should go back into your Hellhound form, then. It's always useful to have an ace up your sleeve," he said, referring to the ability to change into a human shape.

"Yes, that way no one will recognize my face if I change back," Demon mused, agreeing.

"One of these days, you are going to have to explain to me how you can do that, and where you're from," Riddick told him abruptly, eyes slightly narrowed. Demon nodded hesitantly, not looking forward to the painful rendition of his first life and the long series of events in his second life. They discussed the finer details of their invasion for a few moments longer, then Demon began the painful change back to Hellhound form, falling to his hands and knees halfway through to stand on all fours once changed.

He looked up at Riddick, who was staring down at him with an inscrutable expression. Demon wondered what was going through his mind, but pushed the curiosity away and focused on the murderous anger that the slaughter of his packmates had caused.

Demon bit back on a roar, wanting to keep the advantage of surprise for as long as possible. Instead, he nipped lightly at Riddick's wrist, then spun and leapt off through the cargo hold. On swift feet, Riddick followed, blade in hand.

Their element of surprise didn't last very long, though. The Necromongers might not have been capable of feeling much of the pain that their bodies would have been otherwise subjected to, but they did take the opportunity to cry out and raise a noisy alarm before they were slaughtered, in several cases. Demon and Riddick killed everyone they came across as they traveled up to the higher and increasingly populated areas of the ship. At first, their victims were workers and nobles, all but helpless, but as they progressed they began encountering soldiers. Riddick grinned fiercely as he danced with them, ducking and twisting beneath and around their blows and returning to nimbly slash and slice vital areas. For such a large and muscular man, he moved with an amazing sense of grace and agility, Demon thought as he watched out of the corner of his eyes. Demon was in his element, feeling an unholy glee in the amount of blood splattered across nearly his entire body.

Eventually they broke through a particularly tight knot of soldiers, and suddenly found themselves in a large open room, rather than the narrow and endless labyrinth of corridors they had previously been in. Both turned to look around at the occupants of the room. Soldiers surrounded them on all sides, forming a circle around the edges of the room. A high balcony above allowed more soldiers and many nobles to look down upon them while remaining out of the danger zone of any fighting. The glance continued to the far end, where a figure sat.

"You!" Riddick roared, hearing Demon scream loudly at the same time. Sitting on a throne at the far end of the spacious room was the Lord Marshall. He stood calmly, a small smile playing about his lips.

"You truly think you can challenge me? A breeder and a monster, both of you creatures that ought to have been put down." As he spoke, the Lord Marshall stepped down the stone steps, until he was on the floor and level with them. "Vaako, my sword," he commanded. The same ranking official from before stepped up and solemnly handed the Lord Marshall a sword in its sheath, the hilt elaborate and the sheath highly decorated. "We shall discuss later the fact that you lied to me in informing me that they were both dead," he continued. Vaako looked pale, but nodded carefully.

With a gesture, the Lord Marshall had cleared the room of the soldiers, so that they were only around the outer edges. They blocked all entrances and exits, but stayed away from the ensuing battle so as to leave the fighters plenty of space. Vaako went to one of the walls, where an array of weapons were mounted, and selected a large battleaxe. He then stood out of the way, apparently planning on monitoring the fight.

Demon looked around, noticing several nobles standing on a balcony overhead. Most looked vaguely interested but unconcerned, but one face stood out to him. An expression of desperate hope was on the face of one elegantly coifed woman, her knuckles white from how hard she gripped the post. Her eyes traveled between Vaako and the Lord Marshall, nearly ignoring Demon and Riddick, and Demon wondered who she was to have such an intense look upon her face.

Then the Lord Marshall lunged forwards, and his attention was immediately on the fight. Riddick stepped up to meet the Lord Marshall's first long thrust, parrying it impossibly with his short dagger-like blade and spinning inside of the Lord Marshall's reach while he was extended. It was the same move that had allowed Riddick to slaughter so many of the guards.

However, an instant before Riddick's blade would have made contact with the Lord Marshall's throat to tear it out, the body of the Lord Marshall blurred and wavered, then slid to appear solidly several feet away no more than a split second later. Demon narrowed his eyes, recognizing Soul Magic when he saw it. This man had evidently become imbued with it at some point, allowing him to travel on both the physical and soul planes of the universe. When he blurred, he stepped into the soul plane to move, then stepped back into the physical plane to become solid again.

Riddick had stepped to engage the Lord Marshall again, and Demon decided that cheating be damned, if the Lord Marshall was going to use Soul Magic then he, Demon, would help Riddick kill him. So it was with a snarl that he threw himself at the Lord Marshall's exposed side.

The Lord Marshall twisted out of the way of most of Demon's attack, catching Riddick's wrist as he attempted to slice at the same time. With a flick, Riddick's wrist was twisted and snapped, and the Lord Marshall ducked away from both of his attackers. Riddick shrugged, showing no sign of the pain of his broken wrist other than a small grimace, and simply switched the blade to be held in his other hand, holding it as easily as he had in the first hand.

They continued in this vein for several minutes, coming close to trapping him but failing each time to execute the moves flawlessly enough for him to be unable to escape with the use of his Soul Magic. The fight moved around the spacious room, until they were close to a wall, several feet from where Vaako stood watch.

Riddick waited while Demon lunged again at the Lord Marshall, then seeing his chance, Riddick stepped in with a swing of his blade. The Lord Marshall, predictably, slid away with his Soul Magic, and Riddick growled his frustration at the enemy that wouldn't hold still long enough to be killed properly. A Woman's cry of delight made him look up for an instant.

"Yes, Vaako! Kill him now!" It was the woman that Demon had noticed before the fight began, clinging to the post up on the balcony. The look of desperation had transformed into vivid joy, and Riddick swung his head back to look at the fight. Vaako was in mid-swing with the battleaxe, about to bring it down upon the Lord Marshall where he had slid the most recently. The Lord Marshall's face was creased in betrayal as he watched his commander bring the axe down to kill him, and Riddick saw the decision on his face an instant before it happened. Better to be killed by an outsider challenger than by a traitor. The Lord Marshall's body blurred.

Riddick brought the blade directly down just as the Lord Marshall re-appeared beneath him, stabbing deeply through the man's chest armor and puncturing vital organs, ensuring death.

"Noooo!" the woman's voice screeched. Riddick guessed she must be the wife of Vaako, the traitor commander, and had been hoping for him to kill the Lord Marshall. Tiredly, waiting for the inevitable attack from the Lord Marshall's men, Riddick stepped backwards up the throne steps and sank into the throne, cradling his broken wrist in his lap. Demon glided up the steps after him and dropped into a sitting position at his knees, rumbling a deep noise of satisfaction when Riddick dropped his hand to Demon's head and scratched gently at the base of his skull.

"Well? Aren't you going to kill him?" the woman shrieked, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen. The eyes of all of the soldiers turned to Commander Vaako, obviously waiting on his cue to decide what to do. Vaako stood with his battleaxe, an inscrutable expression on his narrow face. He looked up and made eye contact with Riddick, who merely waited to see what would happen. Maintaining eye contact, Vaako slowly sank onto one knee, then bowed his head respectfully.

"You keep what you kill." Vaako spoke it solemnly, his voice low but commanding in the oppressive silence of the hall. Slowly, the other soldiers followed Vaako's example, sinking to their knees in a deferential position to their new Lord Marshall and his Hellhound.


	4. Chapter 3

**Ch 3**

_A/N: Thank you to everybody who reviewed! I love the reviews so much! Anyway, this chapter should hopefully answer some of the questions that people had about some of the details of the back-story, though probably not all. So sorry, no adventure this chappie, though you do get some sex! So, warning: male on male sex for the second half of the chapter!_

A week had gone by quickly, with everyone adjusting to their new Lord Marshall. Already, several desperate nobles had attempted assassination on Riddick, who had sat back and smugly watched as they were quickly dispatched by his Hellhound shadow.

Riddick had begun to wean the Necromongers from the details of their faith, making the Purifications no longer necessary and no longer wanting to convert entire planets. It was the nobles who protested this, to Riddick's surprise, as he had expected the majority of his opposition to come from the military front. Instead, the nobles were his problem people, which seemed to be due to the fact that their entire ranking and positioning in the Necromonger society stemmed from the religious aspect rather than any outward rank such as was earned by the military personnel. Basically, without the religion, the nobles lost the real meaning behind their ranks, which they resented. The military officers, Riddick found, greatly respected him as a warrior, and as long as he intended to still put the troops to use in battle one way or the other, they didn't much care what the motive behind it was.

Riddick and Demon had agreed that it would probably be for the better if Demon stayed in his Hellhound form in the public eye of the Necromongers. The alternate forms and magic that Demon could wield were an advantage that they wanted to keep quiet. Not even Vaako knew of the truth behind the mysterious Hellhound bodyguard that shadowed the new Lord Marshall's every move.

Riddick was constantly busy as the Lord Marshall, attending meetings endlessly for his commanders and advisors to keep him informed on the status of the troops, nobles, and general functions of the entire Necromonger society. Vaako had proven himself to be a most industrious and efficient commander, and Riddick had promoted him right away to be his highest advisor. Unlike some of the other commanders, who barely hid disdain when Riddick showed open ignorance of their customs and culture, Vaako was patient and willing to explain the various nuances and details to Riddick's satisfaction.

The evenings were Demon's favorite part of the day. Riddick made a point of being free after dinner each night, and Demon could change back to his human form in Riddick's private rooms. Here, Riddick could relax for the first time all day, secure that there was nothing to be on guard against, and Demon could talk to Riddick about the day's interactions and information. It was on one such evening that Riddick finally cornered Demon on the explanations that Demon had carefully avoided thus far.

"You told me that you would tell me one day," Riddick rumbled, stopping Demon's attempts at deflecting the conversation or keeping him from pursuing it. He was sprawled out across one of the luxurious couches in his sitting room, the lights dimmed so that they were both comfortable with silver eyes. Riddick wore a pair of snugly fitting BDU pants, similar to those worn by military personnel on many planets, with a simple tank top. He had scorned the massive armor sections that many of the Necromonger officials wore, sticking with clothing that didn't restrict his movement.

"I'm not even sure about all of it myself, though," Demon protested. He was curled up on a loveseat in a position reminiscent of his Hellhound form. He had found over the past week that many of his instincts and tendencies from his Hellhound form remained when he was in his human form, due to the extensive amount of time he had spent as a Hellhound in Crematoria. As nearly always when in his human form, Demon wore a pair of loose pants and nothing else, hating the restriction of clothing on his human body after not wearing any for so long.

"So start at the beginning and tell me what you do know," Riddick countered, intent stare telling Demon that there was no way around it. Demon sighed.

"Fine. Well, to start at the beginning...I was born on planet Earth, to a small race of humans who had genetically developed a magical core, called wizards. To make a very long story short, a megalomaniac wizard who was trying to rule the entire race killed my parents when I was a baby. For some reason, his attempt at killing me failed, and instead his body was destroyed and his soul was sent to roam. Over my childhood and teenage years, he made several attempts to regain a body, finally succeeding. Eventually we fought, in what was known as the Final Battle.

"Now during this time, leading up to the Final Battle, I tried my best to learn a wide variety of branches of magic that might help me to destroy him. One of the branches that I learned was to become an animagus. This is basically a type of magic, very complex, that allows a wizard to have an alternate form, usually of a simple animal such as a dog or cat. When I performed the animagus transformation for the first time, I turned into the Hellhound form that you've seen. None of us knew what I was, and we weren't able to find anything to tell me, no matter how much research we did.

"Usually, an animagus' instincts are only dominant when they are in that form, and it doesn't change anything about their human side unless they spend a lot of time in their animagus form. For me, though, there was a huge difference right away. I had very strong Hellhound instincts, even when in human form, particularly the need to create a pack. My best friends, whom I had always thought of as my family, literally became my pack in my view. I was very protective of them, and we were extremely close.

"Then came the Final Battle. All of the members of my pack were killed during the battle. I went crazy. I avenged them all, slaughtered their murderers in as bloody and violent a way as I could, just really went psychotic." Demon's voice shook as he recalled the sense of overwhelming rage that had overtaken his mind, rendering him blind and deaf to all but the blood and screams of the people he killed.

"I found Voldemort, the self-proclaimed Dark Lord who had started all of it, and we fought. He really was very powerful, but in the end I won. I had found an obscure bit of magic during all of my studying and researching, that would separate the three components of a wizard's life force. Their body, their soul, and their magic. I separated his life force, destroyed his body, captured his soul in an ancient relic and then destroyed it, and kept his magic for myself. At the time I had thought that there would be no real repercussions of doing something like merging his magic with my own. I figured it would just make me stronger magically, was all.

"At first, there was finally peace after the battle. The entire Wizarding World rejoiced that the Dark Lord had been killed, blah blah blah. I was their savior. But of course, people are fickle, and they turned on me. It started out with some newspaper articles, questioning whether I would be the next Dark Lord now that I had proven myself stronger than the last one. The gossip mill churned, and the next thing I knew, I was up on trial for how unnecessarily brutal I had been in killing my enemies during the battle. These fucking cowards who hadn't even had the balls to fight, themselves, dared to stand there and tell me that I should have killed my pack's murderers in a more humane and merciful manner, or even merely stunned them and captured them later rather than killing them."

Demon stood up from his loveseat in a jerky manner and began pacing, needing to move with the agitation of remembering that time, even thousands of years later.

"The entire fucking wizard society turned on me. They found me guilty of a hundred different things, all bullshit. When they actually had the damned nerve to sentence me and expected me to simply allow myself to have my soul sucked out by a fucking dementor, I told them all to fuck off and vanished. I went into my Hellhound form and hid in a thousand places around the world, staying in little unfound, uncivilized locations and staying away from all people.

"Time passed, and I began to realize that I wasn't aging like I should have been. I aged at first, going from a 17-year-old to what I am now, but then I just stopped aging. Apparently the amount of magic I have from sucking up Voldemort's magic made me pretty much immortal, as far as I can tell. I'm not sure how many years passed, but it must have been a couple of centuries at least. The regular humans developed greater technology, and eventually started moving out into space and traveling regularly to other planets. I went back into my human form for quite a while then, and started to travel the universe.

"Eventually I ended up on a jungle planet, where there were wild Hellhounds. Recognizing them as the same as my animagus form, I stayed with them for a long time and got close to a few. When hunters captured some of the members of my second pack, I made sure to get captured myself, and we were moved to Crematoria. Once I was there, I saw no real reason to leave until I met you."

Silence reigned as Riddick processed the story he had just been told. Had it come from anyone else's mouth he would have called it bullshit immediately and laughed it off as a nutjob story, but sitting there, looking at Demon's somber face and having seen the Hellhound form he possessed and the magic he could do, Riddick could only think that perhaps the rest really wasn't so far-fetched.

"So why are your eyes silver when you're in your human body, and your teeth are still sharp, and things like that?" Riddick drawled finally. Demon snorted; trust Riddick to hear a story like the one he had just told and focus on something as minor as his silver eyes.

"I've spent too much time in my Hellhound form to ever go back completely to my human body. So my eyes stay the same as my Hellhound form, and my teeth are always a little too sharp, especially in the canines, to be human. My instincts have been strong ever since making the animagus change for the first time, but that's something that's gotten stronger over the years of being a Hellhound. That's the one drawback of the animagus transformation, is that it was originally intended to be temporary shifts between forms, and for brief periods of time." Demon shrugged, having long since become accustomed to his slightly less than human appearance.

"And your want for me as a...mate, you called it? Is that a by-product of your Hellhound body too?" Riddick questioned, eyes intent as he stared hungrily at Demon. Demon turned to look fully at him, and allowed one lip to curl in a sly smile.

"By-product? Isn't that a big word for you to use, Riddick?" he purred. Riddick huffed, pretending to be offended, but continued to stare at Demon, expecting an answer. Finally Demon gave in.

"Partly, yes, and partly, no. It's true that my Hellhound side is what drives me to call you a potential mate, rather than simply a human lover, and it could even be part of what created my particular taste in men." He paused, eyes raking over Riddick's form and tongue swirling over his lips and teeth hungrily. "But it's not as though I'm some common animal with no human side to balance it out, either. I seek more than a simple fuck, and I wouldn't allow you to be loose with other people while you were with me. Basically, what I want is a partner in mind and soul as well as in body. And I think that you could be that," he finished simply.

"Hmm...I'll have to think about it," Riddick said lowly, slowly standing from the couch. With a smirk on his face that never left, he glided across the room to stand in front of Demon, close enough to feel the tension in the slighter man's body.

Demon smiled darkly, standing on tiptoe to whisper in the other man's ear as Riddick bent down to inhale along his neck.

"What you don't seem to understand is that you don't have a choice."

Riddick's eyes went wide just as Demon nipped at his earlobe and then fastened his mouth on the larger man's neck. Riddick groaned, hands dancing at Demon's waist, unsure as to whether they were there to pull Demon closer or to push him away. Demon made the decision for him, looking up to smirk at Riddick before pushing a burst of magic through his hands at Riddick's chest. With a startled shout, the larger man was shoved across the room to hit the backs of his knees on the edge of the couch, and collapse backwards into it.

Not giving Riddick an opportunity to get up, Demon leapt across the room after him, landing lightly on the couch to cage Riddick's body with his own. Riddick growled up at him, eyes dark with lust and some genuine irritation at being manhandled across the room in such a way. Demon snarled right back, flashing fangs in the dim light. Riddick went to get up, only for Demon to grab his wrists and pin them to the back of the couch.

"Let go of me," Riddick rumbled, the deep bass of his voice sending shivers of delight up Demon's spine.

"Make me," Demon taunted. He knew that such a challenge would cause Riddick to feel the need to prove his dominance, which he looked forward to.

With a low growl, Riddick flipped them in one quick move. His legs wrapped around Demon's waist and squeezed enough to hold Demon pinned there, while his hands twisted to wrench away from Demon's grip and in turn grasp Demon's forearms in his own grip. He paused there to look down at Demon, enjoying the light struggles and squirming the slimmer man did. He settled his weight more firmly on Demon's midsection to hold him better, and froze. He then slowly looked down at Demon's waist, and slid his gaze slowly back up Demon's body to rest on his face with a smirk.

"You like this, huh?" he challenged, rubbing the weight of his groin down onto Demon's already-hard cock. Demon groaned, closing his eyes and willing himself not to move. Riddick grinned and relaxed his weight from Demon's wrists to focus more on the teasing slow rub of their groins, and Demon seized his opportunity. Enjoyment or not, he wasn't going to allow Riddick to win without a fight.

Demon ripped his hands from Riddick's grip and went to swing a wild punch at the man's rib, only to be stopped when Riddick grabbed his hand in mid-swing. Undaunted, Demon raised his legs and drove his heels into Riddick's back, twisting to try to escape Riddick's grasp. Riddick allowed him some movement, for him to struggle out from under Riddick's body, then swung him back around by a wrist just as Demon tried to jump away from the couch.

Riddick crushed his mouth against Demon's in a hard kiss, one hand still holding Demon's wrist tightly and the other arm sneaking around Demon's waist to grasp his ass and press them together forcefully. Demon let out a small moan of combined pleasure and pain, scraping his free hand down Riddick's back to rake him with his nails. Riddick groaned in turn, arching into the painful caress. Their tongues swirled and teeth clicked as they kissed forcefully, the kiss as much a fight for dominance as their skirmish on the couch had been.

Finally Demon gave in, allowing himself to focus on the pleasure and melting his body against Riddick's in a hot press of muscular flesh. Riddick's hand was rhythmically squeezing Demon's ass, until Demon could feel himself practically humping at Riddick's hard front in his desire. Finally, Demon pulled back, panting and flushed, only for Riddick to latch his mouth on Demon's neck and suck, hard. He used teeth as well, sucking and biting until a large purple mark showed Demon to have been claimed, and only then did Riddick pull back in satisfaction. Not to be outdone, Demon leaned in and bit down on the junction of shoulder and neck on Riddick, sharp fangs puncturing the skin and drawing blood. Riddick hissed in pain but allowed him to do it. Demon pulled back after a moment, lapping gently at the welling droplets of blood. Riddick shuddered at the delicate touches of Demon's tongue, closing his eyes to enjoy the sensation. When Demon finally drew away, a perfect set of sharp teeth prints was visible on Riddick's shoulder, just above the collar of his shirt.

"Now what am I gonna tell the ladies about that?" Riddick teased. He was surprised when Demon snarled, his pupils narrowing until the silver nearly drowned them out.

"You're mine now!" he growled. Riddick was taken aback at the vehemence for a moment, but then smirked at Demon and nodded.

"As long as it's clear that you're mine, too," he agreed, deciding that Demon's Hellhound side must have been particularly strong after making the claim.

Beaming a wide, true smile at him, Demon leaned in for a kiss, a light one that soon turned more passionate. Riddick pulled him close in against his body again, then impatiently lifted him up entirely. Demon obliged by wrapping long legs around Riddick's waist, groaning at the contact of Riddick's hard cock pressing against his ass, even through layers of cloth. They never broke the kiss, tongues stroking each other and alternately sucking on the other's tongue. Riddick carried Demon effortlessly through the suite of rooms and into the bedroom that they had been sharing, albeit sleeping with Demon in Hellhound form.

When his knees bumped the edge of the huge bed, Riddick dumped Demon down, smirking at the small cry of protest from Demon as he was tossed unceremoniously on the bed. Riddick quickly shed his tank top and began unbuttoning his pants, having already taken his boots and socks off earlier in the evening. Demon watched hungrily as Riddick finished with the buttons and slid the pants down his muscular legs, revealing that there were no underwear of any sort to bother with. Demon grinned at that, eyes locking onto the erect, throbbing manhood that stood proudly between Riddick's legs.

With a low growl, Riddick slid up onto the bed, crawling up the bed to where Demon had propped himself against the pile of pillows at the headboard. Demon's eyes raked his body as he crawled, loving the play of muscles rippling along the larger man's body at the slow, predatory movement. When he got to the top of the bed, Riddick stopped and crouched over Demon, allowing him to stare for a few moments longer.

"You're wearing too many clothes," he muttered.

"I'm only wearing one thing," Demon pointed out, looking up at the man's face for the first time since the clothing had begun to come off. Riddick grinned.

"Like I said, too many clothes." Riddick unbuttoned and unzipped Demon's pants, then waited for Demon to obligingly lift his hips for Riddick to slide the pants down his legs and off of his body. The pants were carelessly tossed to the floor, while Riddick took his turn at absorbing the appearance of his lover's body, exposed before him.

Suddenly shy, Demon squirmed a little under the heated gaze, face flushing a little as Riddick's eyes finally returned to stare predatorily at his face. Riddick's gaze softened a little, seeing the genuine shyness of his partner, and traced a hand lightly up and down Demon's body, from mid-thigh to collarbone and back. The light touch relaxed Demon, and Riddick leaned in to begin with a kiss, the slide of their mouths together now familiar but no less arousing. Now, though, they were unclothed, and their hands roamed freely to become acquainted with the other's body.

Riddick became bold first, one hand sliding smoothly up Demon's body to caress the hard cock that lay nestled against Demon's hipbone. Demon arched into the contact, releasing a breathy gasp when Riddick took him completely in his hand and stroked slowly up and down. Almost desperately, Demon groped at Riddick's waist, taking Riddick's cock into his hand as well.

After the initial contact, though, lubricant was necessary for true pleasure for either of them, and Riddick dropped his hand away from Demon to go in search of the bottle of lube that he kept in a nightstand drawer. Demon smirked as he went, having been kicked out twice in the last week so that Riddick could have some alone time with the bottle of lube and his hand. He hadn't protested at the time, wanting to wait until the right moment to instigate the relationship with Riddick. Now that that time was finally there, he could hardly contain his anticipation.

Riddick scrambled back up the bed with the lube in his hand, quickly pumping some out and into his hand to spread over Demon's cock. Demon took a small squirt for his own hand, and they resumed, with greater pleasure on both ends once pressure could be exerted without chafing and pain.

Riddick was determined to be inside of his lover to come, though, and so with some finagling, he maintained the rhythm of stroking Demon's dock with one hand while beginning to prepare and stretch him with the other.

He spread some lubricant on Demon's tight hole first, fingers playing with it until he felt the muscles begin to relax against the foreign feeling. Slowly, teasingly, he began to slide one finger inside, starting with little mini-thrusts and gradually sliding his finger further in each push. Demon moaned at the sensation, his cock pulsing with the combination of pleasure from both ways.

A second finger was added to the first, then Riddick grew too impatient to continue. He smeared more lube on his own cock and around Demon's hole, to help with the initial press, and lined up the swollen head of his cock with Demon's tight asshole.

Still stroking Demon's cock, knowing that the pleasure from that would help to balance out the pain from the first thrust, he slowly pushed his way inside of Demon. He paused when he was fully sheathed, groaning at the tight, warm press of his lover's body wrapped around his dick. Demon cried out at the first push, then gasped when Riddick stopped, but quickly became impatient.

"I'm not some prissy little woman," he growled at Riddick. "Fuck me!"

Riddick grinned sharply, obliging by pulling out slowly, tilting his hips slightly, and driving home to strike deep inside of Demon. Demon cried out in both pleasure and pain, then again when Riddick repeated the action.

"Yesss," he hissed, and Riddick set a fast, deep pace, wanting his lover to be able to come before he did, and knowing that it wasn't going to take him long to reach his peak.

Demon clawed down his back, legs wrapped tightly around Riddick's waist, as Riddick slammed deep inside each thrust. He threw his head back and screamed as he came, spurts of pearly come splattering up onto his belly and chest. The clenching and spasming of his muscles pulled Riddick over the edge, and he came with a low groan, his vision going black with the intensity. Muscles quivering, Riddick waited until they had both finished coming entirely, then slid out of Demon and collapsed bonelessly onto the bed next to him. Demon snuggled up to his side, resting his head on Riddick's chest and throwing an arm across the broad chest, and they both fell sound asleep in the afterglow.


	5. Chapter 4

Ch 4

_A/N: Sorry everybody, I know this chapter is both very short and took forever to get posted. I promise more will be coming soon, hopefully in larger chunks per chapter from now on._

Riddick woke with the uncomfortable sensation of being stuck to another person. He hissed quietly in slight pain as the sticky glue that Demon's come had become was ripped away when he moved, needing to use the bathroom badly. As Riddick slid to the edge of the bed and all but ran for the bathroom door, Demon awoke with a groan, having felt the tugging on the curls near his groin when Riddick pulled away from him. With his eyes still closed, Demon reached a hand out to where Riddick had lain during the night, patted the empty bed, then felt the residual warmth still there and relaxed, knowing that if the bed was still warm from him then Riddick couldn't have gone far.

The sound of the toilet flushing had him jerking awake again, having drifted back off seconds after relaxing. Riddick padded back to the bed and slid back under the warm covers, allowing Demon to curl himself against Riddick's side again.

"Who would have ever thought that the greatly feared mass murderer Riddick would be a morning cuddler," Demon said softly, voice hoarse with sleep.

"Can't say as I've ever done it before," Riddick admitted, thinking of all the prostitutes he had paid for over the years on the run. As the common joke ran, with prostitutes it wasn't the sex that you paid for, it was the leaving right afterwards. He had never really felt any sort of desire to spend the night with any woman, or man for that matter, and wake up the next morning with them in his arms. Yet, this felt strangely right.

A sharp knock at the door made them both sit upright, the covers pooling around their naked waists. At a nod from Riddick, Demon slid out of bed and then shifted into his Hellhound form while Riddick climbed out and pulled on his pants. Once he was at least partially decent, the still shirtless Riddick strode quickly to the door and flung it open, glaring down at the officer who stood there.

"What is it?" he barked. The officer visibly took a deep breath to collect himself before speaking, glancing at the sitting Hellhound just to Riddick's side.

"Well, sir, you had told us to inform you if there was any suspicious activity between Commander Vaako and his wife, Dame Vaako, sir," the officer said quickly. "We placed the cameras in their quarters as you requested yesterday, and have been monitoring their interactions throughout the ship. This is the first time they've spoken to each other privately, sir."

While Vaako had been his most loyal advisor so far in actions, Riddick had still been concerned regarding his wife, Dame Vaako. It had been obvious when Riddick killed the previous Lord Marshall that Dame Vaako had wanted her husband to be the next Lord Marshall, and it seemed likely that she had been involved in some sort of scheme with Vaako to this end before Riddick had ever shown up. Riddick doubted that with him being the next Lord Marshall, she would simply stop in her conspiring, and had wanted to be able to keep tabs on her. To that end, he also wanted to know whether Vaako would conspire with her, as he seemed to have done with the previous Lord Marshall, or if he would oppose her now that there was new leadership in the Necromonger society. Riddick wanted to trust Vaako, as he had done such a good job in the last week of being Riddick's commanding right hand, but he wasn't foolish or blindly trusting enough to do so without proof that Vaako was loyal to him first and foremost.

So, he had arranged for cameras to be installed secretly in their personal quarters while they were out and about on the ship for the day, and had thrown together without Vaako's knowledge a small squad of officers to monitor those cameras as well as the ones that were already installed in every hallway and public room. He had ordered that anything pertaining in any way to a subject other than small talk and husband-wife interactions needed to be reported to him immediately, so that he could assess the situation.

"Show me," was all he said. The officer glanced uncertainly at Riddick's lack of proper attire and the visible bruises and love bites on Riddick's neck, but nodded hesitantly and turned crisply on his heel, striding down the hall. With a raised eyebrow at the Hellhound, who gave a distinctly un-cat-like roll of a shoulder as a shrug, Riddick set off after the officer, his Hellhound shadow in a heeling position to the side and just behind his right hip.

When they reached the small office that had been taken over to be used for the cameras that observed Commander and Dame Vaako, the officer who had come to notify Riddick stood to the side of the door, allowing them to go in first before following and shutting the door behind them. Two other officers were sitting inside of the room, a wall of monitors in front of them that showed a variety of places throughout the ship. A set of four monitors were larger than the others, and were centered on the wall, depicting the inside of a set of private quarters.

"Show me," Riddick commanded. One of the officers leaned forwards and touched a series of keys, and one of the images grew larger to be the only image, shown on all of the screens to make a single huge picture. It was, of course, Commander and Dame Vaako, and they appeared to be in the middle of a fierce argument.

"You truly are worthless, husband," Dame Vaako hissed, the poised beauty that had always been so evident overridden by feral hatred and ugly anger. A dull flush had crept up her neck, ruining the smooth brown coloring that she had kept so even through cosmetics.

"And you are blind, wife," Commander Vaako returned, looking much calmer and in control of himself. If anything, he looked tired of the argument, or perhaps simply tired of his nagging wife. "Our last Lord Marshall was afraid, and it made him weak. We could not have a weak leader without it draining power from our entire society. That is why I agreed with your plans then, of usurping the position and becoming Lord Marshall myself. I do not have any true desire for it, that was you!"

"How could you not have the desire to rule an entire race! How lacking in ambition and purpose are you, to be so satisfied with your measly lot in life as you are, when with a single kill you could have it all? Please, husband, if not for yourself, then do it for me?" Dame Vaako's tone had changed to wheedling, a gentle coaxing voice clearly meant to persuade him effortlessly. "I could have it all, I could be the most beautiful woman in the Necromonger race, standing by your side as you sat on the throne. Everyone would know that you were fortunate, to have me beside you in your rise to power." Her tone had changed again, becoming dreamy, and the onlookers saw that her face was satisfied, eyes closed as she imagined it. Commander Vaako looked disgusted, and shook his head slowly.

"That you look to kill a good man with nothing more than the desire for glory and selfish narcissism as your motive says much about you that I had deliberately blinded myself to, wife," he said finally, hissing out the word wife at the end as though it pained him to do so. "Perhaps this is my fault," he mused. "I should never have allowed you to get so far in these thoughts and dreams to become this twisted version of the beautiful, smart woman I once married. Or was it that you were always this way, and simply hid your true nature from myself until you thought I was well and truly under your control?" he asked, his voice soft. He looked regretful on the large collection of screens, and stared at her as though seeing her for the first time, and realizing what an ugly creature lay beneath the smooth skin and elegant hair and makeup.

Dame Vaako snarled, losing her composure at the blatant dismissal of her desires and dreams. "If I cannot achieve my goal with you at my side as Lord Marshall, then I shall do it a different way!" she screeched. "The Lord Marshall is a man with desires just as any other, and I am a beautiful woman. He shall be mine, and you will see shame and disgrace at my hand when I am at his side as his queen!"

Inside the small office, the Hellhound rumbled menacingly, and Riddick tried to hide a wide grin at Dame Vaako's audacity. The officers shifted uncomfortably, and one of them finally dared to speak up.

"Would you like for us to send men to arrest her, sir?" he asked hesitantly.

"No," Riddick replied, dark amusement coloring his words. "I think I'll just let this one play out. More fun that way." The officer looked confused, but nodded and turned his attention back to the screen.

Commander Vaako was staring at his wife, a dark eyebrow raised in cool disdain. "If you truly wish to whore yourself out in such a manner, wife, then feel free to do so." He paused to allow her to splutter, regarding her with a cold expression, then continued. "However, you will not do so while married to me, and carrying my name. To do so would dishonor us both, and I will not have that. Therefore, you may consider yourself no longer my wife, and free to do as you please."

"What- but, you can't do that!" she shrieked, the high pitch of her voice causing Commander Vaako to wince. "I have to agree to it before you can divorce me!"

"Not true," he corrected her bluntly. "Perhaps on your home planet that was how it worked, but in the Necromonger society, of which you have always claimed to know so much, only one spouse must seek an anullment or divorce for it to be valid. It is a very simple procedure, really. I do not have to file any complicated paperwork, or list grievances before any official presences. So, ex-wife, since you are single now, you may feel free to exit my chambers and go begin your seduction of the Lord Marshall. I wish you the best in your future endeavors." Vaako delivered all of it in a cool, collected voice, revealing absolutely no emotion towards his ex-wife other than disdain. She looked as though she was about to begin crying or screaming again, but then seemed to realize when she had utterly lost, and strode mutely to the door, slamming it behind her.

"I'm not concerned about the ex-Dame, I already know what her plans are," Riddick instructed. "Keep the camera on Commander Vaako and let's see what he is up to."

Not much, turned out to be the answer. He walked the few short steps to his bed and set down on the edge, his features showing anger and disgust, then relief. Finally he let out a short bark of laughter, which quickly turned into full blown chuckles.

"I'm free!" he said quietly, then repeatedly it more loudly. "I'm finally fucking free of that stupid, evil, nagging bitch!" He stood up and let out a very un-Vaako-like whoop of pleasure.

In the office, Riddick laughed.

_A/N: Can anyone tell me what Dame Vaako's first name is supposed to be, or suggest some names if there is no official consensus? The name Wula or something similar comes to mind, but I couldn't remember if that was her official name or a name that another author had given to her in their own fics only. I don't want to refer to her as ex-Dame Vaako forever, and that's part of the reason that this chapter is so short, truth be told. I kept referring to her as that when writing the next chapter, and didn't want to. Thanks everyone!_


	6. Chapter 5

**Ch 5**

_A/N: This chapter is dfferent from the first version. I hope everyone reads this one, as it's pretty different from the first one. I hated the way I first wrote this, hope this is better! BTW, if anyone has plot ideas for where the story in general should go, please leave it in a review or PM me, cuz I need ideas! Sorry it's been so long since I last posted, and then for it to only be a revised chapter, I know!_

After watching Vaako in his chambers for another couple of minutes, Riddick told the officers to continue monitoring both of them separately now that they were no longer married. This was just as a precaution, but he felt that neither of them was any threat; Vaako because he was a good and loyal man, and the ex-Dame because she was pathetic and could be easily dealt with. His Hellhound shadow firmly at his side, Riddick went in search of lunch, having slept in with his new partner that morning and then spent the last hour in the office.

As they walked down the hallway, they passed several nobles, all walking in small clusters towards the dining hall. Each time, the initial reaction of the nobles upon seeing Riddick's half naked and bruised body was of shock, followed by a hasty attempt at showing the respect due to Riddick as Lord Marshall. One woman gasped so loudly upon catching sight of the love bite on Riddick's neck, that Riddick paused and turned to her with an eyebrow raised in silent question. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were fastened on his neck, before she turned bright red and dropped into a deep curtsy to hide her embarrassment, mumbling apologies.

Riddick turned on his heel, not bothering to acknowledge her further, and continued walking. Behind him, audible murmurs and hissed whispers picked up as the gossip mill churned regarding the visible signs of an interesting night and the many possibilities of who had been the other partner. He just smirked faintly, glancing down at the pacing Hellhound, who seemed to have a smug tilt to his head.

The whispers had already arrived before them in the dining hall, building to a hushed roar as soon as Riddick entered before dying off to a handful of hisses and the few more daring pointed fingers. A small group of young women, dressed in skintight dresses such as the ex-Dame Vaako preferred, were clustered up by the very front of the room, where they would be easily visible from the Lord Marshall's throne. As Riddick and the Hellhound paced towards the throne, a single figure split away from a large group in a corner of the dining hall, and joined the group of women up front. The ex-Dame Vaako was clearly recognizable, and Riddick had to stifle a snort as he watched, out of the corner of his eyes, as she elbowed the other young women to reach the front position closest to Riddick.

He took his seat in the throne, leaning back into the comfortably padded back and stretching his feet out to give off a relaxed air. The Hellhound sat down on its haunches on his right side, and Riddick's right hand strayed over to gently rub behind the Hellhound's ears. It gave off a deep, rumbling purr, the lids of its eyes drooping to half-mast in pleasure.

Seeing that he was seated and as vulnerable of a target as he was ever going to be, the ex-Dame Vaako decided to make her move. Subtly tripping one of the other women, who had moved to stand up and approach Riddick at the same time, the ex-Dame stood and glided towards Riddick, putting as much sultry sway into her hips as was humanly possible. She made sure that her eyes were heavily lidded to show the extensive makeup off, as well as to look seductive, with her lips pursed just so.

"My Lord Marshall," she purred when she reached Riddick. She gave a deep curtsy, holding her skin-tight dress just far enough away from her body that a long line of leg was visible on the side of the dress that was slitted from ankle to hip.

"Dame Vaako, is it not?" Riddick asked casually, feigning ignorance to the divorce that he knew had taken place not even an hour ago. He watched in hidden amusement as she flushed a deep, unbecoming red. He was curious to see how she would word it so that she was unsullied by the divorce, while still available enough to pursue him, while dishonoring Vaako, as he was sure that all three things would be her objectives.

"No longer, my Lord Marshall. I have chosen to walk the Necromonger path without him by my side, as he was unworthy to one such as myself," she responded. Riddick fought to hide the grimace of distaste at her blatant narcissism and self-promotion. "I await a worthier life-mate," she added, curling one side of her lips in what she obviously thought was a sly, seductive smile.

"I wish you the best of fortune in that pursuit, then..." he spoke formally, trying to discourage her, then trailed off as he did not know what name to call her in light of her divorce.

"Carmen," she said, eyes lighting up at what she saw as flirting to get her name. She paused, as polite society dictated that since she had given him permission to call her by her given name, he should do the same by granting her permission to call him by his name rather than title. The silence grew longer as he did not do so, Riddick sitting and looking at her with an eyebrow raised. She flushed when she realized he was not going to grant her that informality, and searched for a new topic. She glanced at him and saw the love bite on his shoulder and silently seethed at the thought of someone else getting to him first, but was determined not to let it destroy her chances.

"What about you, my Lord Marshall?" she ventured finally. "Have you begun the search for your worthy life-mate?"

"I have," Riddick replied, smirking slightly. To him, the answer implied he was taken, while in her twisted version, he implied that he was still looking.

"Of course, I am sure that for a man so magnificent as yourself, finding a woman who is your match would be a very difficult thing," she continued.

"Nearly impossible," he agreed with amusement coloring his voice as he considered that, in fact, he had never found a woman who could be. Now, a man on the other hand...

"I, too, am finding it to be a very difficult thing, to find a man who is worthy," she trailed off, giving him sultry looks from under her lashes. "If it would please you, my Lord Marshall, we might be able to find in one another the match we are looking for." She held her breath, wondering at her own audacity and impatience for her to be the one to so boldly pursue him in public. She had never had to do something like this before, she mused. Even while she had been married to Vaako, if she wanted a man then all it took was a single implication or flirty remark and they were following her at her fingertips. Carmen heard a very quiet rumbling noise and wondered vaguely what it was, before dismissing the concern.

"What are you saying?" he asked, knowing exactly what she was saying but wanting her to say it clearly, in a way that she could not later deny it. He could feel the vibrations of the Hellhound's growls under his fingertips, and he knew that his lover was growing impatient. He smoothed over the ruffled spikes, trying to tell Demon silently that it would be taken care of.

"Well, my Lord Marshall, I am a very beautiful woman," she began. "And you are a very handsome man. You are also very powerful. I believe that you are the man I am seeking, and I believe that I am the woman you have been seeking. I am sure that I could please you more than your partner, who gave you that mark," she added, glaring momentarily at the visible mark on his shoulder.

"You are so sure of that?" Riddick asked, chuckling.

"Yes, my Lord Marshall. I could please you far more than any other woman on this ship," she declared boldly, lifting her chin. "I know that I am the most beautiful creature aboard this ship, and every man desires me," she continued haughtily.

Riddick curled a lip in what could have been taken as lust or derision, starting his gaze at her feet and progressing slowly up her body, allowing her the moment to preen under his gaze. He felt Demon shifting next to him, and knew the only reason he wasn't making a move was the avoidance of people noticing his above-animal level of intelligence. Riddick leaned in closer to her and beckoned her to come closer with a curled finger. She hastily complied, leaning in and being sure to line up her ample bosom with his line of vision.

"Meet me in my chambers in an hour, and I will show you what I do to beautiful women such as yourself," Riddick whispered, allowing his breath to caress her ear. She shivered, imagining the pleasure of the afternoon and night awaiting her, and the power that would be hers to control once the night was over. Swallowing hard at the thought of a man such as Riddick following her every command and whim, she nodded in agreement and straightened up.

Casting a sly glance at the angry-looking women in their huddle behind her, she pitched her voice low and seductive yet just loud enough for the words to carry to their ears. "I look forward to our meeting in your chambers, my Lord Marshall."

Riddick ensured his voice was loud enough for every member in the dining hall, or close to it, to be able to hear him. "Once I have adjourned to my chambers in an hour, I am not to be disturbed for any reason that is not the direst of emergencies, is that understood? Any issues needing to be resolved can be taken up with Commander Vaako."

Carmen grimaced ever so slightly at the mention of her ex-husband, but wisely chose not to say anything, too exhilarated over how smoothly her plan had gone to seduce Riddick. Then again, she thought, he had been wanting her since he first set foot on the ship. Every man wanted her, she thought smugly.

"I will retire to my chambers to ready myself, my Lord Marshall," Carmen said demurely, and received a nod of agreement from Riddick. Holding her head high and throwing smug, satisfied looks in the direction of anyone looking towards her, Carmen swept out of the hall. Once she was gone, Riddick gestured for a server girl to bring him a platter of food, pleased that Carmen had left so that he would have time to eat before attending to...other matters.

He held out a chunk of chicken breast towards the Hellhound, surprised when the Hellhound turned away his nose and very studiously ignored Riddick. He tried again, offering a smoked pork rib that was making even his mouth water from the juicy scent. Demon pointedly looked away from it, pretending it didn't exist, only to have his stomach betray him with an embarrassingly loud growl.

"Don't tell me you have a weak stomach and can't handle food before bloodshed," Riddick hissed in a whisper so low that only the Hellhound's sensitive ears would be able to pick it up. Instantly the Hellhound's head lifted and he stared at Riddick, searching his expression. Seeing only slightly confused sincerity, he chuffed out a short Hellhound-laugh and accepted the meat delicately. Riddick watched him for a moment longer in some confusion before realizing what had made the Hellhound irritated with him in the first place.

"Oh, don't tell me you actually were worried about that little skank," he whispered, knowing that that had been the problem. Demon gave him a sheepish look, rolling his eyes away and then returning his gaze to Riddick. Riddick shook his head, flicking Demon lightly on the forehead. "No faith, no faith," he chided softly.

They continued eating in companionable silence, Riddick casting fond looks down at the Hellhound and Demon still feeling slightly embarrassed. For the last half hour of his allotted time, Riddick simply sat back in his chair to allow his food to digest, running potential ideas through his mind regarding how to handle Carmen. She couldn't be allowed to live, that much was certain. She was far too manipulative, and while not really much of a threat, was too bothersome to be left to her own devices. With her obsessive nature regarding him, Riddick figured it would just be a matter of time before she discovered the true identity of his Hellhound shadow if she were left alive. He decided to more or less allow Demon to handle her, as he was the one that she had indirectly challenged and was trying to unseat. He knew it would do his possessive lover good to be able to deal with her.

Demon was thinking along similar lines, hoping that Riddick would let him cut her up a little. He was generally more practical with dealing pain and death than sadistic, but for this bitch, he wanted to make an exception. He didn't even really know why she got under his skin so bad, other than her pure confidence that no one ever could or would beat her in her little games of seduction and manipulation. That, and she actually had the audacity to think she could be the partner of a man like Riddick, who was the first good thing to happen to Demon in far too many centuries. He flexed his front claws and ripped up a tiny section of the floor beneath his feet, imagining her skin shredding beneath them.

Riddick glanced down and saw Demon staring at the exit door of the dining hall and ripping little gouges into the floor, and noted that it was probably time to go, before Demon got too impatient and started practicing on the peons in the dining hall.

Pushing the platter of bones and food waste aside, Riddick stood from his throne and strode down the hall, his Hellhound shadow eagerly pacing at his knee. There was silence as he passed, broken only by the furious whispers and muted sobbing of several of the girls who had been waiting for him, whose positions Carmen had usurped so rudely.

Riddick kept up the swift pace even once out of the dining hall, aware of the restless energy of the large predator pacing next to him. When they reached the entrance to his private chambers he paused, glancing down at Demon. Before he had even turned the handle to open the door, he heard a small cough. Riddick turned to see Carmen standing behind him, trying to look shy and demure and failing miserably.

She wore a black see-through teddy, the bulk of the fabric being a fine mesh that was swirled intermittently with black lace. Her breasts were visible through the mesh, while her groin was barely covered by a small patch of the darker lace. The outfit revealed rather than hid the curvy body, and was anything but innocent. She had let down her hair as well, probably thinking that the loose style looked more ready for a tumble in the sheets. Riddick thought bemusedly that it really was too bad that he was in a committed relationship, however unconventional. Oh, and that her personality was better suited to an ill-tempered Chihuahua. If he wasn't committed, and he had never met her before this moment, and she never opened her mouth at any point, he would have enjoyed a night or two with her, he thought. Maybe.

"Your...pet isn't going to be staying in the room the entire time, I hope?" she said in a tone that tried to stay sweet and hopeful and ended up falling somewhere between demanding and disdainful. Demon curled a lip at her, while Riddick laughed internally. What was he thinking, even imagining being able to so much as use her body? There would have been no way he could have ever set aside his dislike for everything that made up who she was, even for a quick fuck.

"He can stay in the living room, if you don't want him any closer than that. But there's no way in hell I'm leaving him out here; I'd come out tomorrow to find out that he's killed off half the ship just to be pissy and fuckin' difficult," Riddick replied somewhat brusquely. Carmen turned a strange shade of green that looked very unsettling on her caramel skin, and raised a hand to her throat.

"Oh," she breathed. "I didn't know he was such a vicious animal. I thought you had tamed him?" Her tone wasn't even trying to be anything but disgusted as she looked at Demon in a combination of fear, disgust, and something rapidly becoming hatred. Demon stared right back, deliberately frightening her further by licking his chops exaggeratedly.

"No, he's certainly not tame. Or at least, he's tame only for me," Riddick said fondly, running a hand down the spiked back. Demon allowed them to lift and rustle slightly, enjoying the fear on her face and emanating from her body as a tangy scent.

"Shall we?" Riddick changed the subject, opening the door and gesturing for her to precede him inside. She stepped past Demon extremely warily, ridiculously high spike heels clicking on the tiled floor. Riddick gave one last glance in the halls to make sure there was no one close by for the moment, allowed Demon to stalk into the room as well, and then closed the door firmly behind him as he entered as well. He subtly turned the electronic deadbolt on the door, ensuring that she could not escape even if she got away from them, as the door would only open to his or Demon's handprints, or to Demon's pawprint as well.

Carmen stood in the middle of the room, keeping an eye on Demon, who circled her lazily. Riddick turned from the door and went to go sit down on one of the comfortable reclining chairs across the room, popping the footrest from the bottom of the chair ad reclining back to get comfortable for the show.

"Wha-what is going on here?" Carmen demanded, voice quivering. Demon mock-lunged at her, causing her to shriek and jump back, clutching herself around the waist. "Riddick, do something!" she screamed.

"That's Lord Marshall to you," he corrected, smirking. Demon lunged again, this time catching an edge of the fluttery fabric and tearing it. She shrieked again, a high-pitched little noise, and started running over to Riddick. Demon caught her in a single bound, sweeping her feet out from under her with a bat of his fore-paw. She tumbled to the ground, landing hard and starting to cry.

"L-Lord Marshall, p-please, s-stop this beast!" she screamed, trying to swing a punch at the Hellhound as he hooked a claw in her teddy and tore it some more, enjoying the harsh ripping sound of the mesh. Demon ducked under the swing and batted at her back, slicing four small grooves into her cheek. He paused and looked down at her face with the slices and nodded to himself, liking how ugly her face was with cuts on it. Quickly and mercilessly, he sliced a matching set into her other cheek, this time gouging just slightly deeper. The second set bled more, running down her jaw and neck to pool beneath her.

Crying hysterically by this point, Carmen threw herself at the small dining table with its full set of cutlery, including sharp knives. She snatched at a knife, holding it tightly in her fist as she turned to face her attacker with tears and blood and snot all running down her face. She glanced over at the amused Riddick, who sat watching from his recliner chair, and a look of fierce hatred twisted her features at the deception that was now obvious. Demon, also watching her, saw the expression change and realized a moment later what she was going to do.

She flipped the knife in her hand in a surprisingly practiced move, and pulled back her arm to throw it. Simultaneously, Demon dove towards the gap between her and Riddick, and blurred in the moment of transformation. The knife left her hand, launched at Riddick's unprotected chest, just as Demon transformed into his human form and landed in a crouch between her and Riddick. In an insanely agile move, he flicked his hand up and caught the knife in midair, gaining only a small slice to his thumb for a slight miscalculation of the grasp and timing.

Carmen gasped loudly, eyes wide and confused. In a surprising move of common sense, though, she snatched up another knife from the table, preparing herself.

"Always saving my life, aren't you, Demon," Riddick rumbled, relaxing again now that the danger had been momentarily averted. He could have and would have leapt away from the knife and dodged it in time, but he knew that he just wasn't quite as fast as Demon, to be able to catch it mid-throw like that. "What about her knowing, though?" he questioned, eyes fastening on the desperate-looking Carmen.

"I won't tell anyone about any of this, I swear to you!" she gasped out.

"You lie, even now you lie. You don't even know how to tell the truth or keep secrets, bitch, so don't pretend that you do," Demon said dismissively. "Don't worry, she won't ever be leaving this room to tell anyone," he told Riddick casually. She screamed defiantly and ran for the door, wrenching on it and trying to use her palm scan, to no avail. Screeching her hatred, she turned and ran blindly at Demon, knife raised.

He waited for her to approach, caught the wrist of the hand with the knife so that she couldn't swing it, and snagged the knife out of her hand at the same time as he twisted the wrist behind her back. This pulled her off balance, and he followed it up with a shove of his foot high in her back, sending her face-first down onto the floor.

He stepped on her hand brutally, crunching the bones beneath his bare foot and smirking while she screamed, high and raw. The other hand he stabbed, crouching over her, tearing into the tendons and ensuring that without extensive surgery, the hand would never be functional again.

"Not so beautiful with your pretty face ruined, are you," he murmured. "Not so useful with your hands ruined, either." He sliced across her back with the knife, deep enough that it would scar badly if ever given the time to heal. "Not so sexy with your body ruined, for that matter. I guess you're nothing so special after all." He shrugged nonchalantly and flipped her over, giving her a moment to stare up into his eyes and appreciate the fact that her death was coming. "I'll just put you out of your misery, then." With a flick of his wrist, the knife was buried hilt-deep in her heart, killing her quickly.

"You ended that quickly," Riddick commented, sounding disappointed. Demon looked up at him with a small laugh.

"I would have made her suffer more if she had done more to deserve it, but to be honest, she was an annoyance more than anything. I reserve extensive torture for people who really, truly do something to make me hate them. Or for interrogations. I don't know, I just didn't feel like torturing her more before killing her." Demon shrugged. Riddick looked down at the bloody, shredded body and the puddle of blood and raised an eyebrow.

"How should we clean this up?" he asked. Demon gestured at the body and it disappeared, along with the blood.

"I sent it to the garbage burner in the bottom of the ship," he said by way of explanation. "This way she won't ever be found; she will just be a missing person, assumed dead. Let people come to their own conclusions; it will be fun to hear the juicy rumors and gossip about what happened, and then we can pick which one we like the best and encourage it."

Riddick just chuckled, shaking his head. He caught sight of the blood still staining Demon's fingertips on the hand that had had claws in his other form, from slicing her face. An odd look on his face, he reached down and grasped Demon's hand by the wrist, raising it to his lips. Making eye contact with Demon, he slid his tongue out and lightly licked at Demon's fingertips. He then roughly pulled Demon's hand in and one finger at a time, sucked the digits clean. Demon moaned softly at the sensations, knees going weak.

Staying in charge of the situation, Riddick reached out with his other hand and let go of Demon's hand just as he pushed Demon in the chest. He leaned in and swept Demon up into a fierce kiss as he continued pushing and prodding Demon backwards through the living room and into the bedroom, until Demon's knees hit the bed. Not pausing, Riddick pushed forwards and knocked Demon down onto the bed, landing on top of him with his elbows braced to the side to support his weight. Demon reached up and looped his hands around Riddick's neck, pulling him down and closer for another scorching kiss.

Finally growing impatient with foreplay, Demon reached down to unclasp Riddick's pants. Shoving them down over Riddick's ass but unable to get them off any further due to Riddick's kneeling position, he growled and groped Riddick's throbbing dick. Riddick broke apart from the kiss with a rough groan, thrusting down into the firm grasp of Demon's hand.

Abruptly, Riddick stood up off of Demon and shoved his pants down his legs, kicking them aside impatiently. He paused to admire the picture Demon made in his bed, chest heaving and pants riding low on slim hips, a darkly desiring look on his face and in his eyes as he returned the visual assessment. Growling, Riddick leaned over Demon, unbuttoned the leather pants, worked them roughly down his legs and off his ankles, and threw them over his shoulder. With Demon clad only in skin, Riddick practically threw himself back on top of Demon, bracing himself up with one hand to Demon's side.

Riddick fastened his mouth on Demon's throat, sucking lightly and nibbling alternately, paying attention to one spot for several seconds before moving, working his way down Demon's throat and across his collarbone. He fumbled blindly at the nightstand for the bottle of lube that they had left out from the night before, dragging it onto the bed next to him when his questing fingers found it.

Demon keened softly, hips rolling up into Riddick's belly while his hands grasped at Riddick's back and caressed the slightly stubbly surface of his shaved head. Reaching a slightly darker nipple, Riddick began sucking as he squirted a small bit of lotion onto his fingers. A moment later, Demon gasped in shock from the feeling as the fingers smeared the lotion at his hole.

"Cold!" he gasped out, squirming a little and then settling down once the lotion became a temperature more like that of his body. Riddick smirked a little and continued sucking on Demon's nipple while one finger worked itself into Demon. Demon relaxed and loosened quickly, and Riddick was about to add a second finger when Demon shook his head quickly.

"No, I don't need more. Just need you," he murmured, humping up into Riddick's upper belly while Riddick teasingly thrust his finger in and out a few more times. Sliding his finger out the last time, Riddick sat up into a kneeling position again and squirted more lotion into his hand, smearing it up and down the length of his cock to slicken it.

Needing no further encouragement at that point, Riddick lined his cock up to Demon's hole and began pushing slowly, allowing Demon to relax and adjust as he went. Demon was turned on enough by this point, and the muscles were relaxed from the night before, that he didn't need much time to adjust. By the time Riddick bottomed out with his groin pressed snugly to Demon's ass, Demon was wriggling to encourage more movement.

Riddick, not in a patient mood by then, pulled out smoothly and thrust back in quickly, slamming home deep inside Demon. Demon howled at the first thrust, throwing his head back in pleasure when Riddick pulled out again and began setting a fast, deep rhythm.

Demon could only moan as Riddick struck his prostate repeatedly, holding him by the hips for leverage. Demon's breathing sped up as he felt his orgasm approaching, and Riddick reached between them to stroke Demon's dick with his still-slick hand.

Demon all but screamed as his orgasm hit, ropes of pearly white come splattering his belly and chest, then smearing on Riddick's hand as Riddick coaxed the last bit gently out. The clenching of Demon's inner walls literally pulled the orgasm out of Riddick as well, and he came with a quiet groan, fingers tightening on Demon's hip as he threw his head back from the pleasure. Riddick thrust slowly for several seconds longer, enjoying the last bits of orgasm and afterglow, then pulled out.

Riddick collapsed onto the bed next to Demon, both sweaty and sticky. They lay there panting for several minutes, allowing their skin to cool, heart beats to slow, and breathing to even out. Demon broke the silence several minutes later with a chuckle. Riddick looked over at him, smiling to see the look of satisfaction on Demon's face as he looked back at him.

"What?" he asked rhetorically.

"Well, we have all night to ourselves for a rare change. I was thinking how ironic it is that we normally have to squeeze in our nights of fun around your duties, but when it's for some bimbo like Carmen to get you, you're allowed to take the whole afternoon and night off. I'm going to make the most of tonight, I tell you what." Smirking, Demon rolled over and on top of Riddick, rolling his hips down on Riddick's cock. Riddick groaned as his dick betrayed him, stirring to life despite the very recent round it had just finished.

"You're going to be the death of me," he murmured, grasping Demon's hips and pulling him down onto his already hard cock.

"Mm, death by sex. I like the sound of that," Demon replied, throwing his head back.


	7. Chapter 6

**Ch 6**

_A/N: Sorry guys, I know it's really short. I promise to try to make it up to you next time, it'll start getting violent again soon. _

The next day saw Riddick sitting at his usual position at the front of the dining hall, bright and early. He sat in a slumped position, dark circles under his eyes and a generally exhausted look on his face. Demon lay at his feet with his head on his paws, sighing heavily through his nose every few minutes. Neither of them looked particularly pleased to be awake.

Commader Vaako had rapped on Riddick's door early that morning, and looked none too sympathetic at Riddick's tired state, assuming along with the rest of the Necromonger nobles that Riddick was tired from fucking his ex-wife all night. Riddick mused that they were right that he was so tired from fucking all night, just not with that particular person. Vaako had given Riddick half an hour to get breakfast in the dining hall before he was to be escorted by Vaako to tag along for a military inspection. Riddick wasn't sure why Vaako needed him to go along, since he had given Vaako the authority to handle such matters on his own, but he supposed that it was more of a show of force on Vaako's part by showing that he had Riddick's support.

A serving girl bustled over, settling a hearty platter of food in front of him. Despite themselves, both man and Hellhound perked up at the arrival of food, the sharp scent of sausage and sight of piles of scrambled eggs making both lick their lips almost simultaneously. Absently, Riddick set one of the loaded plates down on the floor in front of Demon, before digging into his own plate armed with only an empty stomach and a fork.

Ten minutes of wolfing food down later, Commander Vaako strode through the man doors at the far end of the dining hall. His face was impassive, only his eyes giving away the anger that he seemed to currently hold for his Lord Marshall. Riddick saw it and sighed internally. Demon and Riddick had discussed what to do about Vaako last night in between rounds of vigorous sex, and Riddick knew he would need to pull Vaako to the side before the inspection and explain everything to him. It irked him to have to explain himself to anyone, but Demon had insisted, saying that Commander Vaako was a valuable enough commander and advisor as well as a good enough man to deserve the truth about his ex-wife. It wasn't that he disagreed, but rather the simple fact that his life was so much more complex than it used to be. Once upon a time, he had never felt any obligation toward another person, regardless of their relative worth or value in his life. Now, that had all changed.

A nudge at his knee made him look down into bright silver eyes, and he smiled despite himself. Yes, his life had changed, but he wouldn't have it go back to how it used to be. Demon made a questioning noise in the back of his throat, tilting his head to one side, but Riddick just shook his head. He might be comfortable enough with himself to admit it in his own head, but no way in hell was he going to become enough of a sap to tell Demon these things out loud. At least, not yet, he amended with a sigh.

Riddick pushed the plates of food to the side and stood as Commander Vaako approached, nodding in reply to the short bow that Vaako delivered.

"Commander Vaako, good morning," he rumbled. "I'd like to speak to you privately before we begin the inspection," he added, not giving the man any opportunity to refuse him. Hesitantly, Vaako nodded. Riddick nodded curtly and led the way out of the hall, Hellhound shadow at his knee and just behind, while Vaako brought up the rear.

Selecting one of the first rooms outside of the dining hall, Riddick opened a random door. A large pantry full of spare plates, bowls, and various other dishes and utensils met his gaze. He shrugged and walked inside, glad that the room was more spacious than an average pantry or cupboard. Vaako followed him in, confused and face showing it despite his attempts to remain impassive. Unsure of where to begin, Riddick decided on the blunt method.

"I did not fuck your ex-wife, Vaako. She came onto me, I invited her back to my room in order to use the privacy, and I killed her."

Silence met his words. Riddick shifted a little, waiting, as the seconds passed and still Vaako said nothing. Finally, Vaako spoke, his voice surprisingly calm.

"You killed my ex-wife."

Riddick nodded. Demon looked from one to the other, seeming to be enjoying the awkwardness.

"Why didn't you let me do it?" Vaako burst out after a moment, finally looking up to make eye contact with Riddick. "All of the times she slept around behind my back, then to try to shame me with our divorce being made public at the exact same time that she was trying to get into your pants, and I don't even get to be the one to do it?" Vaako demanded. Riddick blinked, having not seen that particular reaction coming. Though, after the scene he had watched on the cameras, he mused, he probably ought to have.

"It just seemed right at the time," he muttered. Vaako visibly collected himself and nodded, too professional to show any more emotion to his Lord Marshall.

"At least she is taken care of and can no longer plague either of us, or any other man," he said. Taking a deep breath, he resumed their previous line of conversation. "Now, my Lord Marshall, about this inspection..."

Demon tuned him out as he led them from their pantry hiding place, Riddick paying more attention fortunately as he listened intently to the Commander's words. Demon was grateful that Vaako hadn't asked for any more details regarding Carmen's demise, as they hadn't come up with a list of appropriate detailed lies for Vaako's benefit if he should ask. Since he didn't know about Demon's identity as anything other than a particularly intelligent animal companion to Riddick, it would have required some lying to make Riddick the murderer, and it was just easier that Vaako didn't ask.

Demon sighed. He had missed being able to kill people. Ever since Riddick had killed the previous Lord Marshall, making him the new Lord Marshall by default, Demon had been forced to sit on his hands, figuratively speaking of course. For fuck's sake, he thought angrily, even a haughty bitch like Carmen had thought he was tame!

He swiped out with a passive forepaw at a decorative table that held a fragile vase as they passed it in the hallway, knocking both table and vase to the ground with a satisfying crash and tinkle of broken glass and porcelain. That was more like it, he thought with satisfaction, ignoring the raised eyebrows from his human companions as he continued walking more placidly. Chaos and destruction, that was what he was made for. Not this pussycat babysitting version of being a bodyguard.

The Hellhound watched idly as they passed by several contingents of lined, strictly uniformed and positioned men, not bothering to listen as Commander Vaako explained to Riddick their specializations and ranks and some previous successful missions of each. Then they stopped in front of several officials who, to judge by the clusters of rank insignia plastered to the sleeves, lapels, and collars of the uniforms, seemed to be high-ranking. They all exchanged curt greetings as Commander Vaako introduced each official to Riddick, and it turned out that they were the other Commanders. Vaako had previously been of the same rank as these several men, until Riddick had shown enough favoritism and had made him a higher rank as his First Among Commanders and primary advisor.

He zoned back into the conversation going on above him when one voice became slightly heated, catching the tail end of a snide comment regarding Vaako's youth and limited experience as a Commander.

"It has been my experience that youth and inexperience can be very positive factors in a man, as it leaves him open to change and further training. He will not be set in his ways, already trained by a single superior, as many experienced, older men are," Riddick replied smoothly, eyes pausing deliberately on each of the other Commanders, all of whom had at least two decades on Vaako in age. All of the Commanders coughed or cleared their throats and refused to make eye contact, save for the one who had made the first comment. He locked eyes boldly with Riddick, glaring hatefully right back.

"Such an attitude might show many people that a man is not fit to lead a group of people, if he does not know what it takes to be a good leader," he replied none too vaguely. Riddick raised an eyebrow, surprised the man would be so bold about his opinion. Demon growled softly, and Vaako stepped forwards. He rested a hand on Demon's head subconsciously, and while surprised initially, the Hellhound allowed it. He didn't miss the looks of shock and jealousy on the other Commanders' faces at the permitted interaction with such a fearsome beast as the Hellhound, who had previously only allowed Riddick to even come near him.

"Others may need a reminder of their position relative to their leaders', and of the fact that such talk is insubordination and may be punished as such!" Vaako hissed. The Commander looked ready to argue, but caught sight of the Hellhound's spikes rustling and turning a deep red in agitation. He swallowed harshly instead, and nodded roughly, before turning on his heel and striding away. Demon caught a faint murmur from the man, and knew that none of the human ears in the room would have caught it.

"Fuckin' punk wouldn't be so damned tough if it weren't for that pathetic excuse for a Lord Marshall and his fuck-toy pet there having his back!"

Demon snarled, having grown to like the uptight First Among Commanders and not appreciating the man's comments regarding any of them. He resolved that he would find a way to kill off the man, on sheer principle of not leaving alive enemies who could cause you grief later on.

Riddick was obviously thinking along similar lines, making Demon glow inside with pleasure at their like-mindedness, as he brought up a line of conversation that had been nagging at Demon for quite some time. The inspection was over after the scene with the other Commanders, and Vaako was showing them back to the main portion of the ship, where their quarters were.

"How do I get rid of him?" Riddick asked bluntly. Vaako laughed softly, shaking his head.

"You can't fire or demote him, my Lord Marshall. He won his position as I did, through killing off the previous Commander holding that position and gaining the position through our law of keeping what you kill. Our system does not allow for loss of position through means other than death if the position was gained through death of the predecessor."

"You keep what you kill...how does that work, anyway? Seems to me that your ship would just be full of back-stabbing and shadow-killing and assassins, if all you have to do is kill someone to get everything they have," Riddick commented.

"Yes, well, before I was converted, that was what it was like, from everything I've heard. It got to be ridiculous, with people dying off before they even got a chance to appreciate their new belongings and rank. Then, of course, there was the fear of the current Lord Marshall, your predecessor, that it would be too easy for someone to assassinate him and take everything. So he instated a new set of statutes that set rules for the 'keep what you kill' law, and banned the use of assassins entirely. If an assassin was used, neither the assassin nor the employer gained anything from the death. In general, the killing has to be public or the killer doesn't get to keep anything. Public, meaning a minimum of three witnesses to the challenge, fight, and death of one or the other. A challenge must be issued first, alerting the intent of the challenger, but the challenged person doesn't have the choice to say no. Once a challenge is issued, the fight will take place. Once a fight starts, it is to the death one way or the other. There is no submission, no giving up, only death for either challenger or challenged. Either the challenger wins and keeps everything of the person he killed, or he is defeated, and the challenged person keeps what they started with as well as any belongings of their defeated opponent."

Vaako stopped, wondering if his explanation had been lost somewhere along the way on deaf ears, and saw to his relative surprise that Riddick was only nodding thoughtfully, absorbing the information. Demon, too, looked interested, he noticed bemusedly.

"So as long as I didn't care about gaining anything from it other than the death itself, I could have someone killed?" Riddick questioned. Vaako nodded.

"Yes, but it would be better for the sake of maintaining some level of peace within the court if it appeared to be an accident. Might I also suggest that you not be the one killing anyone, my Lord Marshall?" he suggested delicately. Riddick laughed.

"No, I suppose that might stir up some shit if anyone saw their Lord Marshall being involved in murdering any of their people."

"Good, then let's not discuss any more of that. Plausible deniability and all," Vaako smirked. Riddick glanced down and caught Demon's silver gaze, smirking and nodding. Vaako blinked rapidly when he swore that the Hellhound nodded slightly back.

The rest of the trip back to their quarters was uneventful, each man and Hellhound occupied with their own thoughts. Vaako left them at their door, reminding Riddick that he had a staff meeting to attend with the Commanders and several high-ranking nobles later that afternoon regarding the eventual plans for the Necromonger race.


	8. Chapter 7

**Ch 7**

_A/N: I am so, so sorry to my readers who have been waiting for so long for this update! I have no excuses that you want to hear...At least it's not super short, though it's not super long either._

"The Underverse must be reached, and that can only happen if we conquer the planets within this universe, and either convert their occupants or kill them," one of the commanders repeated none too patiently, looking flustered at the very concept of not destroying planets anymore.

It was an hour into the meeting that Riddick had been dreading all day long. The nobles, and a few of the more annoying commanders, were all very adamant that the Necromonger ways be continued as they had been previously. Problem was, he really didn't believe in the whole Underverse thing, and while he certainly didn't give a damn about killing lots of people, he generally preferred that the reason be something he agreed with. And the Necromongers didn't have his vote on this one.

It probably didn't help the situation any that he was so distracted, he mused idly. He had sent out on an insulting drink-fetching errand the obnoxious Commander from earlier in the day, and was busier contemplating exactly how Demon was currently killing the man than he was thinking about reaching the Underverse.

He knew it would look like a questionable accident, and that Demon would be using his human form since no one knew what he looked like. But that was really all he knew. Demon had given him a coy smile and winked, and refused to tell him exactly how he would assassinate the disrespectful Commander. Deliberately ignoring the increasingly loud attempts of the nobles to get him to agree with them and noticing the amused silence of Vaako beside him, Riddick zoned out of the meeting in favor of imagining how Demon was doing.

* * *

Demon was pleased. It had been a long time since he had been able to hunt his prey in human form, and he was reveling in the different sensations of a human body on the prowl. Even if the method of death he had chosen would be disappointingly nonviolent and quiet and clean. It wasn't anything exciting, really, he considered, and decided that he really shouldn't be thrilled to be killing a man in such a boring manner. But still, he was getting to kill someone.

His chosen prey had exited the conference room several minutes ago, scowling darkly and muttering menacingly about his status as a Commander and the terrible insult that had been dealt to his pride when Riddick casually told him to go and fetch the drinks for the rest of the conference members.

Listening carefully to the man's continued ranting, he deciphered which kitchen section he was headed towards, and with the smallest of snapping sounds, he disappeared. Demon reappeared a moment later, now in the kitchen that his prey was walking towards at that moment. He cloaked his presence, standing in a corner of the kitchen for a moment. As he moved into an out-of-the-way position, he caught sight of a beautiful potted tree in the corner of the kitchen, and smirked. This would be insanely easy.

The plant was an Angel Trumpet, which had sap in its leaves and bark that were derived from the old Nightshade family, which was a very potent poison. The tree itself and the flowers it bore were very beautiful, leading them to be a popular choice for decorative trees, but if the leaves or bark were ever ingested, it would be deadly if in a large enough amount. It was a hallucinogen in smaller amounts, used recreationally as a drug in more creative circles. All in all, with a little planted evidence, it would be the perfect assassination. He was surprised to see one in the Necromonger kitchen, as it had been an old Earth plant, and supposed that one of the kitchen servants must have somehow obtained it and kept it safe even once they were converted.

The Commander walked into the room with an arrogant swagger, shouting for a servant. A young woman, shy and dainty in appearance, hurried into the main area of the kitchen, wiping her hands on an apron and looking at the ground demurely at the Commander's feet.

"Fetch me water, servant, nine glasses and a pitcher with ice on a tray. Now!" he shouted. She bustled over to a cabinet and pulled down the glasses, grabbing the pitcher from another counter and filling it with the requested ice and water. All the while, the Commander leered at her backside and a hungry gleam entered his eyes. While she was at the filter machine filling the pitcher with water, the Commander walked over behind her, not even bothering to be stealthy. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, grabbing her breasts roughly and fondling them roughly.

"Too small, but then the rest of you is nothing special either," he told her dismissively. She squeaked and tried to pull away, but he only spun her around bodily. He crept a hand down to the edge of her dress and pushed under it to caress possessively at her groin, laughing hoarsely when she struggled and began to cry, pushing futilely at his arms and invading hand.

"Stop! Stop! I'll tell someone about this, I will!" she cried out desperately. He pulled his hand out from under her dress and backhanded her with it, sending her to the ground.

Demon was crouched aggressively by that point, pointed teeth visible under a curled lip, fingers curled into claws as he watched the scene, waiting for his moment. He would have stepped in far before that point ordinarily, but for this particular man's death an accident needed to be seen as the cause, not murder or assassination. Him stepping out to kill the man for his vulgar and abusive behavior towards the servant would ruin his plans.

At a directed glance from him, a good-sized branch of the Angel Trumpet disappeared, instantly converted into a fine, tasteless powder as though he had cut the branch, peeled it, ground it, dried it, ground it more, dried it more, and processed it over a matter of days. In an instant, he performed the process of making it a powder-form poison. Throwing a disguising cover over the powder in the air so that the other two occupants of the room couldn't see it if they were inclined to notice it, he floated the powder over to the pitcher of water, which had been set down on the counter when the Commander began his nonconsensual advances. The powder dropped into the pitcher at his mental guidance, dissolving until it was invisible. Another branch snapped soundlessly off the tree, and he directed it to float over to him and stowed it in a back pocket for later.

Demon reluctantly looked back over to where the girl was cowering on the floor, the Commander yelling at her about her worthlessness and the fact that no one would believe the word of a servant against the word of a Commander, and he'd have her killed if she tried, anyway!

Demon could hardly believe the ease of his luck, raising his eyebrows when the Commander, shouting apparently making him thirsty, reached out for the pitcher of water. It wouldn't kill him instantly, Demon knew, but within an hour he'd drop dead from a drug overdose, as far as anyone would be concerned. It would be considered unusual, but not impossible or unlikely, based on this particular man's abrasive personality as well as the presence of old Earth plants such as this one.

The Commander gulped noisily, draining the pitcher of its halfway-filled amount of water, and tossed the pitcher with the remaining ice down at the girl, who caught it numbly.

"Fill it back up, bitch. And hurry up! You're keeping the Lord Marshall waiting with this tomfoolery you're trying to seduce me into," he ordered, smirking at her when she gaped at his way of twisting the situation. Looking crosseyed for a moment, the Commander wobbled on his feet as the first wave of Angel Trumpet hit his bloodstream. The sensation passed, leaving him a little light-headed, and he shook his head to rid himself of the woozy sensation.

The servant finished filling the pitcher and set it on a tray with the nine glasses he had ordered for, then with a last fearful glance she ran out of the room.

"Ungrateful little bitch, she should have just been happy a man wanted her for a change," he muttered as he picked up the tray and walked out of the kitchen with it, staggering slightly at the door and then continuing with a murmured curse. Demon gestured lightly at the tray and a fine spray of powder, the last remnants of the poison, lifted out of the pitcher, too slight to be noticed. He let it spread in the air, a small amount like that not being dangerous in a loose media like the air. He followed his prey out of the kitchen for several hallways, keeping himself cloaked visually and his footsteps too light to be heard.

At a particular corner, he broke away and turned a different direction, removing the mental nudge that had kept him invisible to the Commander, so that he was once again fully visible to passersby. For this part, it was alright if someone saw him, and indeed it would make things more interesting. He had initially planned on staying invisible for the entire thing, but the mischievous, chaos-thriving side of him liked the idea of people wondering whether it was all accidents or really assassinations that were happening.

So he was visible to the passing servants and occasional nobles as he strode down the hallway that led to the Commander's bedchambers, and as the tightly secured and locked door opened without any visible action to make it do so. He walked inside, closing the door behind him, and placed the sprig of Angel Trumpet from his back pocket onto the counter in the small kitchenette. It was simply done, but would be just enough to cast suspicion both directions. On one hand, his manner of death would look like he had simply overdosed on something that he used as a hallucinogen. On the other hand, the lack of other apparatus and any possible sightings of him coming and going would make the possibility of an assassination evident.

He sighed in some enjoyment, walking back out of the man's suite. He loved causing chaos.

* * *

Riddick stood up abruptly and began walking out of the conference room, cutting off the pushy nobleman that was still talking loudly. This man would probably be next on his hit list, he mused as he made an abrupt hand signal to silence the furious whispers of the nobleman to his comrades. Of all of the nobles, this particular man was the loudest and the most ignorant, and stirred up dissention that didn't need to exist.

"I need a fuckin' break," he said out loud, not caring a bit that it was rude. "Commander What's-His-Face never showed up with my damn water, anyway. So we can finish this next time." Jerking his head towards Vaako, who looked grateful for the early dismissal if the flash of emotion was anything to go by before his face smoothed back over into blank and polite disinterest. Vaako gathered up the paperwork that held the statistics they had been referring to, and hurried after the irate Lord Marshall.

"Sir Redwall will not be forgiving about that next time," Vaako cautioned quietly, knowing his Lord Marshall wouldn't care but feeling obligated to warn him anyway.

"Is that his name? Either way, he won't be a problem next time, don't worry about it," Riddick said dismissively. Vaako paused and looked up at Riddick, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

"I don't suppose the Commander you sent for water will be a problem anymore either?" he questioned delicately. Riddick grinned.

"Thought you said you didn't want to know anything. Plausible deniability, you said."

Vaako coughed lightly, lips quirking into a brief mischievous smirk before he regained his composure.

"Ah, yes, my Lord Marshall. So I said. I'll, ah, forget this conversation ever took place." Riddick snorted and nodded.

A slate grey shadow slid from an adjoining hallway and prowled just behind the two men as they passed. Massive paws were placed delicately so as to be utterly soundless, silver eyes narrow and focused. The two men turned a corner, and the predator followed several paces behind.

As the Hellhound rounded the corner, he caught a quick flash of movement, and before he could move, a heavily muscled arm had bodily lifted him by the scruff of the neck and tossed him into the wall. He snarled menacingly as strong hands held him pinned into the wall, body carefully held away so that swiping claws had a hard time achieving any damage.

"Why hello there," Riddick said, a cheeky smile dancing on his lips. "Did the big bad wolf just get out-stalked?" At the insult, the Hellhound growled, though it was visible that it was more for show than true menace. Vaako stood several feet away, where he had been when Riddick silently motioned him to be quiet and stop just around the corner. He watched in some amusement, obviously impressed that Riddick had not only been able to tell the creature was there, but to surprise him and pin him from around the corner. Vaako blinked, swearing internally that the Hellhound had just rolled its eyes in a very human gesture of amusement and resignation.

Riddick allowed Demon to gently drop back to the floor, earning a nip in the back of the leg for the surprise attack. Nonchalantly, Riddick resumed walking back to their quarters, Vaako falling into step beside him and the Hellhound a silent shadow a step behind and to the side of Riddick, slightly between the two men. Vaako's hand brushed the Hellhound's neck briefly as they walked, and the Hellhound arched into it like a large cat, encouraging the pet until it became a good scratch behind the ears. He rumbled a deep purr as they walked, eyes narrowing happily.

At their quarters, Vaako bowed briefly to the Lord Marshall and made to leave, saying that he would be by in an hour to escort Riddick to dinner in the dining hall. Riddick nodded and told him to just let himself in through their door when he arrived. Vaako nodded his consent and left after a final pat on the head to Demon.

"Do I need to be worried about you and Vaako?" Riddick demanded as soon as the door closed behind them, half in jest and half seriously. The Hellhound's shape blurred and wavered, then with a final painful sounding crack of bones readjusting, the well-built human form of Demon stood from all fours and crossed his arms.

"Don't tell me the big bad Riddick is getting jealous and insecure," he teased. Riddick frowned, and Demon let up. "No, you don't have anything to worry about, believe me. He's just a genuinely good person, and a loyal friend and advisor, and deserves to be given special privileges and to be shown favoritism so that everyone else can tell he's in a favored position. Me allowing him to touch me at all, let alone pet me, while in Hellhound form shows everyone that. You can't tell me you haven't noticed the jealous looks he gets when I let him do that in front of the others."

Riddick growled and crossed his own arms over his chest. Demon lost his train of thought for a moment, drooling at the muscled arms crossed over the built chest, in the squared-off and intimidating posture Riddick had adopted. Riddick laughed abruptly, making Demon snap back to attention, his eyes jerking up to meet Riddick's.

"I guess if I can make you lose focus to stare at me then I shouldn't be too worried after all," he said lightly. Demon grinned lopsidedly, glad his lover hadn't been more obstinate about his concerns. It wasn't that he didn't find Vaako attractive, because he could easily admit that he did. Vaako was very sexy, with the long braided hair and the sharp, aristocratic features. Having never seen Vaako nude, he could only guess at the body underneath the trim clothing, but Demon was sure it was drool-worthy. However, he was both in lust and, he was beginning to suspect, in the process of falling in love with Riddick, and that simply counted for more in his book. Riddick was his mate to his Hellhound side as well, which was a position that would be hard to ever give up.

Riddick walked over and flopped into his favorite recliner chair, while Demon followed to curl up on a small sofa. The day had been a long one already, and both of them wanted a quiet moment of peace before it resumed with the dinner in the dining hall. They spent the next hour discussing Demon's assassination of the obnoxious Commander, and Demon's plans for taking care of the noble Sir Redwall. Gradually, the conversation turned to an exchange of dirty innuendo, as it so often did, and both were left somewhat frustrated by the fact that they didn't have nearly enough time for even a quickie before Vaako was due to come for Riddick for dinner.

Just before their hour was up, Demon shifted back into Hellhound form, and curled back up on the sofa in that form to wait for Vaako.

"I think I like you better not able to argue or reply," Riddick commented. Demon glared at him over the arm of the couch, curling a lip playfully. The door lock pinged quietly, signaling that Vaako was entering, followed by the appearance of the dark-haired man. Riddick stood with a sigh, and Demon slipped off the couch to join them as they left the chambers again.

"The things I'm going to do to you later," Riddick whispered down to Demon as they walked. The large beast just rumbled in agreement, tail lashing. Vaako shot a wide-eyed look at the two of them, eyebrows furrowing. Surely that did not mean what is sounded like it meant...

Vaako observed that, to no great surprise, a noticeable missing presence in the crowded dining hall when they arrived was the Commander who had been so challenging to their Lord Marshall. He didn't think it was exactly a coincidence.

Dinner began without incident, the Hellhound digging in with gusto to the chunky pork ribs that were piled in a large platter on the floor for him, dripping with blood and juices. While he didn't mind cooked human food, his natural preference in that form was as close to alive as possible, so Riddick alternated cooked and raw meats for him for variety. Riddick ate the same meal, though his ribs were cooked rather than bloody.

Not fifteen minutes into the meal, though, Vaako saw a servant come running through the doors at the far end of the dining hall, and stood to intercept the runner before he could rudely approach the Lord Marshall without permission. As it turned out, though, he needn't have bothered, since the servant began speaking loudly enough that not only could the Lord Marshall hear from up on the throne, but the entire mass of the dining hall population could likely hear it as well.

"Commander Mast has been found dead! His body is being taken to the medical examiner for an autopsy and confirmation of cause of death, but drug overdose is the suspected cause." Vaako held in his smirk at the clever play that Riddick's anonymous assassin had employed. Whispers began speeding around, and not a single person was left out as gossip began to spread.

Vaako thanked the servant and sent him on his way again, telling him to inform the medical examiner that he could expect his Lord Marshall's presence after the evening meal was concluded. He glanced up at Riddick, whose stony face showed no emotion in a way that told no one but Demon and Vaako of the inner mirth he hid.

As Vaako continued eating, he listened to the whispers and murmurs passing around him, and wondered at the possible truth of some of the claims he heard. One noble claimed to have passed a young man who was near the door of the recently deceased Commander, another woman said she had personally seen the man go into the rooms. One rumor-monger said he had been assassinated for sure, but was shushed by others who reminded those listening that the previous Lord Marshall had banned the use of assassins. Some people spoke of sympathy for the Commander, but were quickly silenced by the many, many enemies that he had made in life, none of whom had the slightest bit of compassion other than to wish that he had died painfully.

Up by the throne, Demon listened to the whispers and murmurs of the Commander's death and possible assassination, and rumbled in a deep purr. No one knew what to really think already, and it was only one death so far, he mused. He could hardly wait to see the true chaos that would begin when more bodies began to pop up.

_A/N: I need assassination ideas! Hopefully nobody thought the poison/drug overdose concept sucked too bad, tell me if you did think that! then give me ideas so I can do the next few better! I want them to be things that can double as accidents or murders, so that it can create the population disturbance that Demon loves._


	9. Chapter 8

**Ch 8**

_A/N: Sorry for the very long delay, everyone! Unfortunately, it might start taking me this long pretty much every chapter, as I have started my last year in college and the research papers are piling up already._

Demon was feeling smug. It had been a week since his successful offing of the Commander, and he was getting eager to continue his chosen work.

This was much better than being Lord Marshall could ever be, he mused as he trotted down the hall in Hellhound form. No real responsibilities, freedom to wander the halls, and no one dared to get in his way. That said, he did have something important to accomplish. Riddick was in another meeting, and had organized it so that the conference was being held in one of the more unusual rooms. What made it unusual wasn't the decor, or a special throne, or anything like that. What made it unusual was the large quick-release door in the floor.

Demon was on his way to the conference room at the moment, having slept in a little. He hadn't meant to, but Riddick had worn him out the night before, and he was grateful to take advantage of the dark room and snooze when poor Riddick had to drag himself up for the first-thing-in-the-morning meeting.

As he entered the room, he took note of which nobles seemed unperturbed by his presence, and which ones looked at him with open scorn or hatred. Unsurprisingly, Sir Redwall belonged to the latter group, as did several of his friends and allies. Well, he mused, Redwall would soon be taken care of, and if necessary so would his friends. He was ruthless enough to not flinch at doing what was necessary to keep Riddick safe and the ruling a successful one.

He sat down on his haunches next to Riddick, who reached out a hand idly to caress the tips of his spike-covered ears. He rumbled a purr, enjoying the flinch from Redwall, who sat a few seats away. One of Redwall's friends was standing at the head of the table, speaking more loudly than was necessary.

"We are running low on supplies for the troops aboard the ship and the sister ships behind us, my Lord Marshall. We must stop and gather supplies from one of the nearby planets!"

"By 'gather', I take it you really mean 'plunder and raid', correct?" Riddick drawled. The noble looked uncomfortable for a moment, then gathered his resolve and nodded tightly.

"Yes, my Lord Marshall. It is what we have always done, after all," he excused. Riddick nodded thoughtfully.

"Tell me, Sir – "Riddick glanced at Vaako.

"Sir Cornelius," Vaako supplied helpfully. Riddick nodded in appreciation.

"Tell me, Sir Cornelius. Do we not have money in the treasury? Or did my predecessor run it dry?" he questioned.

"No, my Lord Marshall, the treasury is full," the noble replied with confusion evident on his face.

"Then why can we not go planet-side and pay the merchants there for the supplies that we need? If we have the money, why do we need to plunder these people who have spent their lives working for what they have?" Riddick sat up and leaned forward aggressively, pinning the man with his gaze through the dark-tinted goggles that he still preferred to wear in the public sections of the ship. Submissively, though anger gleamed in his eyes, the man sat down quietly.

"But, my Lord, if we do not land in a raid formation, then how are we to gather more troops? We must conquer the worlds if we are to reach the Underverse!" Redwall all but shouted, standing up. He paced agitatedly around the side of the table to stand firmly at the head. As he paced back and forth at the front, Demon listened intently. One step made a solid thunking sound, followed by three steps that had a hollow chime to them.

On the second chiming step, Demon gathered his magic and pushed, opening up the doors below the man's feet. Within half a second, the man had dropped through the floor and with a trailing scream of fear and horror, was falling to his death many miles below.

Riddick was the first one to his feet, and leapt across the room to slam his palm on the large button that controlled the door mechanism, closing it again. Silence reigned for a long moment, everyone staring at the door in the floor that was where Sir Redwall had just been standing moments before.

"Fortunate for all of us that we were within this planet's atmosphere already, so that none of us were lost in space," one of the nobles murmured finally. Demon turned to look at him, and recognized him as one of Riddick's supporters.

"Fortunate? Redwall is dead!" Cornelius shouted, leaping to his feet. "How could this have happened?"

"Mechanism failure, I guess," Riddick said, shrugging.

"First time I've ever seen that happen," the same supporter of Riddick's policy changes murmured with a smirk. "I guess it didn't like what Redwall had to say." While he had said it with an innocent tone and expression, the simple, joke-sounding statement caused several of Redwall's friends to blanch and pause to consider the possibility. Not so much that the mechanism itself hadn't liked what he was saying, but rather that someone who controlled the mechanism hadn't.

"Meeting's over, people," Riddick announced. The members of the conferences filed out cautiously, staring at the ground below their feet. Before the man could shuffle out who had spoken for Riddick several times, Riddick caught him by the shoulder to stop him. The man turned to look up at Riddick with a curious smile on his old, well-weathered face.

"What is your name, sir?" Riddick asked politely, having taken a liking to this old man.

"Mackenzie, my Lord Marshall," the man replied just as politely, giving a small bow.

"Thank you for your support, Sir Mackenzie," Riddick told him seriously, looking into the man's face.

"It's about time we had a Lord Marshall that cared about the people, all people, not just some imaginary Underverse and all the excuses for killing people in between," Mackenzie said nonchalantly.

"I kill people," Riddick said calmly.

"Aye, but that's not what I'm talking about. It's the senseless killing and raping and pillaging that needs to stop. Hell, sometimes people have to be killed just to stop that!" he said, turned to stare at Demon with an all-too knowing twinkle in his eyes. Demon's eyes widened when the man winked at him, then turned back to Riddick. "You're doing a good job, my Lord Marshall. Myself and a few others have got your back for when you need our support, never you fear." Not giving Riddick a chance to stop him, he bowed again and turned to amble off, whistling to himself.

"I think that he's one who stopped the purifications when you passed the law that gave the option," Vaako murmured, looking after the old man in baffled puzzlement. Riddick grunted in agreement, watching the man walk away with a thoughtful frown.

* * *

Several days later, it was time for some actual bloodshed on Demon's part, and Riddick was due for another round of assessing the military troops. Demon was practically glued to his side during the Vaako-guided tour, as Riddick was particularly vulnerable while in the presence of the troops to attempts at rising to the rank of Lord Marshall with a lucky strike. His senses on hyper-alert, he stalked next to Riddick in such a manner as to look as intimidating as possible.

His opportunity came towards the end of the trip, as Riddick had stepped aside to speak with one of the captains of a squad. The captain was eager and deferential, clearly just excited to have been chosen to speak with the Lord Marshall himself rather than through a proxy such as First Among Commanders Vaako. Riddick's back was turned on the squad, and his attention was on the captain as he discussed strategy and battle tactics.

Demon was staring sappily at his lover, and had he been in human form a goofy, affectionate smile would have been on his face as he watched Riddick gesture to help articulate the move he was talking about as he was more clearly comfortable with the conversation than Demon had seen him be in public since becoming Lord Marshall.

A sudden movement in the corner of his peripheral vision made Demon shift quickly into predator mode, and it was with a cold fury that he saw one of the men in the squad behind Riddick shove past the man standing at attentive ease in front of him, pulling his service pistol from its hip holster as he began to run towards Riddick. Time slowed down, and Demon felt as though he could take his time in moving as he leapt to intercept the man.

His hind claws made a rough scraping sound against the tiled floor as his paws dug in, his hind legs flexing to give the maximum leap. His muzzle opened wide and his lips curled back, giving the long, lethal fangs free space to work. Demon's front legs went forwards to shove against the man as he hit him in midair, claws tearing deep gouges into the man's chest and side.

Time seemed to resume, and it was with vicious pleasure that Demon tore the man's throat out as they hit the floor, mere feet from where Riddick still stood. Riddick had turned and spun into a defensive crouch, a dagger already present in his hand, and Vaako had stepped in front of him to take the blow if necessary. Both of them were splashed with hot blood as Demon shook the man's throat like a rag doll, growling savagely at the man's gurgling noises as he died painfully.

Vaako turned to Riddick, and with a surprisingly calm voice, asked, "Are you all right, my Lord Marshall?"

"Fine," Riddick said gruffly, an odd look on his face. Demon stared up at him from his position above the body, head still lowered, ad licked some of the blood off his lips reflexively. Riddick copied the gesture almost subconsciously, eyes locked with those of the Hellhound. "Yes, fine," he repeated. "I must return to my personal quarters to clean up, have the body disposed of and proper reports written."

"I will accompany you, Lord Marshall," Vaako offered, but Riddick was shaking his head before he had even finished speaking.

"No, I will be fine with Demon by my side," he replied, the same odd look still on his face. Vaako nodded in acceptance, and without so much as a further glance at the body Riddick strode off. Demon hopped over the dead soldier and followed at a brisk trot, wondering why Riddick was in such a hurry.

He got his answer as soon as they entered Riddick's private quarters. No sooner did the door sling shut behind them than Riddick grabbed him by his throat and slammed him against the door.

"Change. Now." Riddick ordered. Confusion turning into smug realization, Demon complied, and was soon in human form with Riddick's hand around his throat just hard enough to turn him on.

"Like the sight of me covered in blood, do you?" he asked cheekily. Riddick groaned.

"Fuck, it makes me so hot," he agreed in a husky voice, leaning in to breathe deeply along Demon's jawline and neck. With a long swipe of a hot tongue, Riddick cleaned some of the blood from around Demon's chin and face, tangling a hand in Demon's hair and tugging sharply. The Hellhound in human form cried out at the combination of pleasure and pain that the movement evoked, grinding his hips against Riddick. The bigger man pressed back, and Demon could feel the long, hard bulge along the front of Riddick's pants.

Riddick lowered his head a little, settling his mouth over the junction of neck and shoulder, and sucked lightly for a moment before sinking his teeth down and biting, sucking simultaneously. Demon howled his pleasure and pain, bucking wildly and his eyes rolling back in his head.

Still controlling the smaller man with the grip on his neck, Riddick maneuvered them through the doorway to the bedroom, Demon being forced to walk backwards. As they approached the bed, Riddick shoved Demon backwards to land splayed out on his back on the bed, a surprised and slightly wild look on his face.

Wasting no time, Riddick pulled Demon's pants off his hips, glad that there was no other clothing to worry about being in the way. His own tank top, pants, underwear, socks, and boots were tossed into a crumpled pile on the floor as quickly as was humanly possible, and then he was crouched over Demon, suckling on a pale nipple and squirting lube from the bottle on the nightstand onto his fingertips.

He prepared his lover quickly but gently, massaging the hole lightly before sliding one finger in, then following that finger with a second. More impatient than usual, Riddick slicked his cock and smeared a little more lube at Demon's entrance before lining himself up, leaning up to prop himself missionary-style over Demon.

The Hellhound in human form wrapped his legs around Riddick's waist, gasping at the first push of the thick head past the tight ring of muscle, then sighing as the uncomfortable sensation turned into pleasure. Riddick thrust in long, smooth strokes, pulling back until the head nearly popped out, then driving it home to push against Demon's prostate on the way.

Several minutes of buildup from this and Demon was screaming his release, clawing at Riddick's back wildly and arching his back. Riddick groaned as he paused, then gave several shorter thrusts as he came, eyes closed and an intent expression on his face. He stayed in Demon for a minute longer, giving tiny rolling slides in and out, then allowed his dick to pop free and flopped onto the bed on his back with a gusty sigh.

Demon snuggled in against him, and Riddick settled his arm around Demon's back comfortably, a content and satisfied expression on both their faces. Despite it being the middle of the day, both were napping happily a moment later.

* * *

The sound of a short knock on the door followed by the beeping of a palm being positively scanned for entry was what woke up both sleeping occupants half an hour later. Blinking sleepily, both naked men could only stare in befuddled curiosity as Vaako entered the living room of the quarters backwards, obviously carrying something.

He turned around, and promptly dropped the armful of clothes that he had been carrying. All of his careful dignity and proper carriage left him, and Vaako could only stare with wide eyes and a slack jaw at the sight before his eyes.

Riddick lay on his back, one arm tucked up underneath his head and the other wrapped around his companion. The other man, shorter and slighter in stature but still very well built to Vaako's eyes, was curled on his side, head resting against Riddick's chest and one arm draped across Riddick's stomach and side. Both were staring at him in sleepy confusion, and it was then that he remembered himself.

"Pardon my intrusion, my Lord Marshall. I was bringing you your wardrobe, as they were finished by the tailor earlier this morning and the blood being splattered on your set earlier reminded me that they were finished. I thought that you would be in the shower, and I did not want to leave them in the hallway." Feeling his face heat up as his eyes were drawn against his will to the picture of perfection that his Lord Marshall and his lover made on the bed, Vaako ducked into a deep bow to stare at the floor.

"It's all right," Riddick replied, bemused. He was actually surprised that they had kept Demon's human side's existence a complete secret for as long as they had, and had expected Vaako at least to discover the truth some time ago. Now Vaako knew of Demon's human side, but not that this human and the Hellhound were one and the same.

"Vaako, this is..." Riddick trailed off, not sure what name to call Demon.

Demon smiled charmingly, leg moving inconspicuously to hide his genitals. "Henry."

"Henry. Henry, this is my First Among Commanders, Vaako." Riddick introduced them, shrugging at the name Demon had given and wondering if it was his original name.

Vaako straightened from his deep bow, bobbing another shallow bow in deference to Riddick's lover, Henry, then straightened entirely, determined to not let his lecherous thoughts show on his face. It was not appropriate, he reminded himself firmly, to have such thoughts about any man, let alone the Lord Marshall and his lover. Once he may have been allowed to be attracted to another man, but he was a Necromonger now, and such things had been forbidden by the previous Lord Marshall.

"Well then, my Lord Marshall, do you wish to have Henry accompany you to lunch? The dining hall will begin serving in twenty minutes," Vaako offered. Before Riddick could accept or deny the suggestion, Demon nodded eagerly.

"I'd love to," he accepted. Riddick turned his head to glare down at Demon, raising an eyebrow. Vaako hid a smirk at the blatant disregard for Riddick's opinion on the matter, and wondered who this bold man was who would risk the wrath of the Lord Marshall. His eyes widened slightly as he realized that he didn't see any purification marks on the man's neck. While Riddick had discontinued the necessity of purifications for the Necromongers, they hadn't picked up any new converts in that time so all people on board save for Riddick himself should have had at least old faded marks. He pushed that thought away to consider later as Riddick relented.

"Fine, but if you come then the Hellhound has to stay here," Riddick ordered, staring down at Demon meaningfully. Demon nodded at this, the meaning clear. While Vaako would no doubt figure it out sooner than later, there was no reason to give him extra help.

"I'll wait in the hallway while the two of you...clean up," Vaako suggested, already walking out of the room before Riddick could even approve of the idea.

Once the door had clanged shut behind Vaako's straight back, Demon burst out laughing.

"Did you see how red his face became? I didn't know Vaako even had it in him to blush that brightly," he chuckled. Riddick cracked a smile and nodded, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing up. He was hungry, a fact that was highlighted when his stomach rolled and made a loud growling noise. Demon laughed and followed suit, straightening and stretching his arms above his head. Riddick dressed himself in one of the sets of clothes that Vaako had brought, pleased to note that they were good, sturdy materials and fit him perfectly, leaving room to move in as he preferred. Demon snapped his fingers and smirked as black cargo pants appeared on his legs, a snug-fitting black shirt forming around his upper half. Another snap and socks and boots appeared on the floor next to him, and he crouched down to properly put them on by hand.

"Ready?" Riddick asked, blinking in surprise when Demon stepped over and nodded, then impulsively leaned out and brushed a soft kiss to Riddick's cheek. Suddenly embarrassed, as the kiss was not one that could be explained as anything but loving and gentle, Demon ducked his head and went to move past Riddick. A large hand snaked out and grasped his upper arm firmly but not roughly, preventing him from making his escape, and it was with trepidation that Demon chanced a glance at Riddick's face. He expected rejection, confusion, or anger, or some combination of the above. What he saw instead was wonder and some soft emotion in Riddick's eyes, before Riddick leaned down and pressed a soft kiss onto Demon's mouth, smiling when he pulled away. Stunned, Demon could only stand there in mute shock as Riddick's smile turned into a smug smirk, and he walked past him.


	10. Chapter 9

_A/N: First of all, I would like to say THANK YOU all so, so much, to everybody who has reviewed! Secondly, I am so, so sorry for it taking so long to get another chapter up, and worst of all it's not even a particularly huge one. But at least it's something, right? I'm finishing up my last semester of undergrad school, while helping my husband with his first semester of grad school, along with a ton of other miscellaneous busy crap, and my free writing time has been cut down as a result. I know that's not much of an excuse, but it's true. When I'm writing major research papers at least twice a week, the fun-time writing just doesn't always make the cut. Hopefully with classes slowing down a bit for the summer I'll have more time to write coming up soon, so hopefully it won't be such a god-awful gap between chapters again. Let me just say thank you again to everyone who reviewed, though: you guys are the reason this even got continued and posted anytime this year, sad to say though that kinda is. Every time I'd forget this story even existed or ignore it completely for too terribly long, I'd receive another review asking me to please update or telling me how much this story is loved, and it really kidna bugged me into writing more again, finally. So keep up the reviews, it makes me so happy! And it reminds me to write, lol._

**Ch 9**

Silence.

Henry looked out calmly at the sitting population, musing that if there were any crickets aboard the ship, he certainly would have been able to hear them.

It was amusing, really, watching the quick, jerky motions of peoples' heads as they turned to stare at him when they thought he wasn't looking, then quickly turned their heads another direction, any direction, once he started to look their way. He caught a few people blatantly staring at him, only to freeze like a deer in headlights when they realized he was watching them stare at him. One turned to his side, pretending to be in the middle of a discussion with his neighbor, only to realize that the closest person on that side was three seats away.

They were purposely leaving the implication open for discussion. Henry was sitting next to Riddick, which was very strange and rare. Yet they weren't sitting particularly close together, the way a couple might, and both of them were fully clothed, a change of the usual for Riddick. So the nobles and soldiers were confused, and it showed.

Finally it came to a head as one man, a young soldier of low rank, stood up loudly, his chair making a shrill screech against the floor. The entire hall watched with bated breath as he turned to face Riddick and Henry with a determined, angry expression, and marched up towards their raised area at the end of the dining hall. Upon reaching it, he dropped into a short bow, then straightened again.

"What's the problem?" Riddick asked brusquely when the man didn't speak for a few moments. For a second, it looked like the soldier was going to back out, then he clenched his jaw and tightened his resolve visibly.

"Your...escort, sir," he bit out.

"What about him?" Riddick prodded, raising an eyebrow. Henry sat calmly, watching the back-and-forth with a tiny smirk at the corner of his mouth.

"Is he your lover?" the soldier demanded, apparently deciding to be blunt.

"And what if he is?" Riddick drawled, leaning forward on one elbow.

"It's unclean and unworthy of the Necromonger religion, sir. The previous Lord Marshall-" Riddick cut him off.

"The _previous_ Lord Marshall. Seems to me that the important word in there is _previous_. Since I'm the current Lord Marshall, I think I'm a little bit more important than he is." Riddick stood up, ignoring for the moment the sputtering soldier before him. "Let me make this very clear, people. I am not the previous Lord Marshall. I happen to disagree with an awful lot of the shit that guy decided and did. For the record, Henry here is in fact my lover. I don't give a damn what your previous Lord Marshall said was right or wrong, as long as I'm your Lord Marshall then it doesn't matter who you are attracted to or with. Straight, gay, lesbian, it doesn't matter to me. Are we fuckin'clear?" Without really waiting for an answer, Riddick motioned towards Henry, who stood up fluidly at the unspoken request. Riddick waited until Henry stood next to him, then they went to walk down the steps to leave the dining hall.

"Filthy faggot!" the soldier screamed, yanking his boot knife from his calf and rushing the few steps towards Henry. The smaller man caught the soldier's wrist before he could do anything with the knife, twisting the man's wrist and driving the blade back towards his own side. The soldier shifted, but not before his own knife sliced a long, deep gouge in his ribcage. Henry twisted the knife the rest of the way out of the man's grip and kicked him in the back of his knee, sending the man to his knees before him.

"Please, mercy," the soldier cried, holding his injured wrist against his chest and pressing his other hand against the bleeding wound in his side.

"You're pathetic," Henry hissed. "I ought to kill you. But I won't. Let this be a lesson to anyone else who wants to try something. I'm not easy to get rid of. If someone else wants to try, just know that this is my one mercy call. Next time someone tries anything, they're being sent to the morgue."

Riddick was silent for a long minute, staring at the bleeding man on the floor. Finally he sighed and nodded, accepting Henry's judgment call.

"Get yourself to the medical bay if you don't want to bleed out soon." A few people moved to help him, and Riddick cut them off with a sharp glare. "No one is to help this man. He attempted to kill my consort, he is lucky to be alive. He certainly doesn't deserve someone helping him get around." The people who had moved sat back down, not looking happy with this decision but unwilling to challenge Riddick's authority.

The soldier picked himself up from the floor stiffly, gaze staying firmly on the floor at his feet and not meeting anyone's eyes. He shuffled quietly from the dining hall, a slow trail of blood drops following his progress through the hall and the hallway beyond the doors.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom to clean up," Henry announced to anyone who cared to listen. When Riddick gave him a questioning look, noting that Henry had only a very small amount of blood on one forearm, Henry gave him a small, discreet wink. Riddick rolled his eyes and gestured carelessly.

"Go on then, meet me in my quarters when you're done," he told the smaller man. Henry smiled and nodded, setting off towards the dining hall bathroom.

Once he had secured himself inside a stall in the bathroom, Henry cast a small glamour over his face, making it so that anyone who looked at him would see a vague face, with no ability to remember exactly what he looked like or recognize his face. With that done, he disappeared with a tiny popping sound.

He appeared again in the middle of a nearly empty hallway. Nearly empty, because it was occupied by one other person.

The soldier gaped at him slack-jawed, having just watched him appear from thin air in front of his eyes. Not wasting any time on pleasantries, Henry strode towards the man, withdrawing from his waistband the same knife the man had tried to stab him with only minutes earlier. Before the man had time to do anything to stop him or raise an alarm, he had driven the blade home in the same wound from earlier. The blade pierced through his ribcage with an audible cracking sound as the ribs fractured to allow the metal through.

The soldier collapsed to the ground, making wet gurgling noises as he drowned in the blood that was filling his lungs rapidly. Henry withdrew the blade cleanly as the man fell, allowing his weight to pull him off of it. He cleaned the blade with a quick touch of a fingertip to the side of it, then tucked it back into his waist where he had it before. With a salute to the dying man as he took his last few ragged breaths, Henry disappeared into thin air once again.

He reappeared in the same bathroom stall that he had left moments before, and immediately heard the shuffling noises of a person in the next stall. Not wanting to be conspicuous in case the person had been there long, he quickly dropped his zipper and pulled his penis through, summoning a quick pee to satisfy the curiosity of any listeners. Tucking himself away again and with a brief moment of focus removing the glamour from his features, he exited the stall and washed his hands briefly, striding out to meet Riddick in their quarters. He gave Vaako a brief nod, as the other man was standing with a small group of nobles in the dining hall still, looking to be explaining to them that yes, Riddick did have the authority to make it acceptable to have relations with one's own gender.

Once he was safely within Riddick's private quarters, Henry sighed in relief. He glanced around, seeing Riddick lounging in his favorite recliner, gazing at him steadily. He smiled softly, and walked over to him. He settled himself comfortable on the larger man's lap, smiling when Riddick's arms drifted up to encircle his waist and hold him more firmly on his lap.

"I have something to confess to you," Riddick said quietly. Henry turned himself so that he could look at Riddick, who had an unusually pensive look on his face, forehead wrinkled and lips drawn down at the corners.

"What is it?" Henry asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'm tired of all of this," Riddick admitted quietly. "I'm getting so bored with the meetings, and sick of the drama of the nobles, and god damnit I'm so fucking fed up with hearing the phrase, 'the previous Lord Marshall'," he mimicked in a high falsetto voice. Henry chuckled despite himself, and smoothed a hand over Riddick's powerful arm in a reassuring gesture. "All the nobles do is argue with me and tell me that they need to conquer more planets, they need to kill off more civilizations, they need to gather more troops and converts. I'm just so fucking fed up with it all!" Riddick growled.

"I know what you mean. Believe me, I know what you mean," he agreed. "Even killing people I don't like is getting old; they're just too easy and boring. But what can we do about it? You're Lord Marshall now, the only way to lose your job is for someone to kill you," he pointed out.

"Well, what's where we would have to get creative," Riddick said slyly.

"Fine, we'll do it."

Stunned silence filled the conference room as the commanders exchanged glances, unsure if they had really heard their Lord Marshall finally decide to stop being stubborn.

"Um, excuse me, Lord Marshall, could you repeat yourself?" one commander finally requested meekly, cringing when Riddick turned and gave him a dismissive glance.

"I said fine, we'll do it. You can select the next planet for conquering and converting, and all your other Necromonger shit."

"That's wonderful-"

"Oh, finally-"

"Thank you, my Lord Marshall-"

The commanders and other assorted officials in the room, with the exception of a very few, stumbled over one another as they tried to ingratiate themselves before Riddick changed his mind.

"There's one condition though," Riddick said casually. They all froze, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from chuckling at the caution that suddenly appeared on their faces. He waited, keeping them suspenseful just to be a pain in their asses. Thank god he would finally be getting away from these uptight assholes, he thought.

"What condition might that be, my Lord Marshall?" Riddick looked over and was pleased to see that the speaker this time was Mackenzie, the friendly and somewhat odd older commander that he had spoken with before.

"I will visit the planet first on a scouting mission. The only person accompanying me will be Henry." Immediately, sour expressions appeared on many of the faces of the men surrounding him.

"You wish to bring your...catamite...along with you?" Cornelius spat the word as though it had a foul taste, looking disgusted. In an instant, Riddick had the man tip-toeing the air, one muscular arm lifting the commander by the throat.

"How fucking dare you," he growled. "You think you can just say whatever shit you want, and I'll listen to it nicely 'cause you're one of my advisors? Think again, dipshit. I am the Lord Marshall here, and my fucking word is fucking law!" he roared. A chuckle broke his furious stare at the asphyxiating man dangling in front of him, and Riddick turned an incredulous look at Mackenzie, who stood next to him laughing quietly.

"Your decision is the one with power here, my Lord," he acquiesced, "But if you want 'dipshit' here to have any brain cells left at all, you better set him down before you suffocate the last of them," he suggested with another chuckle. Riddick rolled his eyes and did as suggested, tossing the man a little as he set him down so that Cornelius stumbled and fell on his ass, gasping and wheezing for the precious oxygen that had been denied to him.

"Just me make it perfectly fucking clear," Riddick paused for effect, looking around and making eye contact with the commanders one by one, "the next person to insult Henry will die, either by my hand or his. I'm not gonna tolerate that. Moving back on topic, I will be going planetside with only Henry on a scouting mission. You don't like it, too bad."

"Yes, Lord Marshall," Cornelius wheezed, echoed by the other commanders.

"So...what planet are we stopping at next?"

"He called me a what?" Henry laughed, shaking his head. "How unimaginative. He could have at least come straight out with it and called me your whore."

"Piece of shit really would've died then," Riddick grumbled.

"The one day I am not in the meeting with you," Vaako said mournfully, shaking his head.

"I thought you were always in the meetings with him?" Henry asked, pretending to have only had it explained rather than seen firsthand the workings of the ship and its hierarchy.

"No, today I was overseeing some of the training of the more recent recruits. It motivates and disciplines them to have a senior officer check up on them once in a while, so that they do not become sloppy," Vaako explained. Henry nodded in understanding. Vaako turned to Riddick with a raised eyebrow.

"And what is this rumor I heard regarding our stop at the next planet? It had been my impression that you did not approve of our previous recruiting methods?" Riddick chuckled.

"I don't. But this is getting too boring, at least going planet-side for a while will give me a chance to stretch my legs a little."

"We have a full-facilities gymnasium and running track, Lord Marshall," Vaako pointed out, being deliberately obtuse with a slight smile.

"It's not the same and you know it," Riddick replied with an eye-roll. Henry grinned at the banter.

"Well, so when do we actually make contact then?" he asked.

"In three days," Riddick replied.

"That should work out very nicely to give everyone in the landing party time to prep, then," Vaako mused.

"Actually, only Henry and I will be landing," Riddick grinned. "Call it a scouting mission."

"My Lord Marshall, you cannot be serious," Vaako sputtered. "You are far too important to be placed at risk like this!"

"Who the hell could take me down? Remember who it was that beat your last ghost-powered Lord Marshall," Riddick boasted. Knowing when it was a lost cause, Vaako only shook his head in defeat. "Besides, if anything happened to me, you'd make a great Lord Marshall in my place," Riddick continued casually. Vaako shot him a confused frown, but was cut off from saying anything by Henry speaking.

"So we go down in three days then," Henry confirmed. "To the planet- what was it called? – Consequence. Why would anyone name an entire planet something strange like Consequence?" he mused. Distracted, Vaako began to describe the planet's history and occupants to Henry.

"Hurry your ass up," Riddick grumbled irritably.

"Learn some damn patience already!" came the yelled response.

Riddick leaned against the doorjamb to their private quarters, watching the smaller man tying his boots. Henry had wanted to eat breakfast before they left, while Riddick had denied being hungry, and Riddick had as a result become impatient to head out.

"Alright, I'm ready," Henry finally announced, standing up from the chair.

"'Bout time," Riddick growled, and walked out of the room without another word. Henry sighed and followed him, catching up quickly. They had started a rumor that the hellhound had shredded Riddick's favorite chair and was grounded to the private quarters during his absence as a result of Riddick's ire, in order to concoct a reasonable sounding excuse for the lack of hellhound visibility while they were gone, as well as why the hellhound was not accompanying them.

"Vaako said it would be the transport ship at Dock C," Henry reminded Riddick, who merely grunted. More than accustomed to the man's mood swings and general irritability at times, Henry ignored the surly man next to him and focused on the trip ahead of them. Vaako was still not pleased about their solo trip, and neither was anyone else on the committee of advisors and generals, but Riddick's will superseded their desires in the end, and Henry and Riddick were alone. Riddick had left, in the hands of a very reluctant Vaako, a mountain of paperwork that he had painstakingly filled out in the past three days. Combined, the paperwork essentially made Vaako the acting Lord Marshall in Riddick's absence, as well as making the title permanent if anything should occur to kill or otherwise incapacitate Riddick.

The planet they would be visiting was a fairly temperate one, of a jungle-type terrain and foliage cover. It was not very densely populated, but they had decided to land their transport ship just outside one of the major cities in order to use that as an easy vantage point on the populace.

It was a short hop to the surface of the planet, only taking two hours to cover the relatively minor distance. As they approached the ground, Henry leaned forward in his seat as much as the four-point harness would allow, but could see only dense tree foliage. Riddick landed smoothly between two massive trees, causing Henry to raise his eyebrows, impressed despite himself at the casual display of Riddick's superior piloting skills. Of course, being much more talented than humble, Riddick waggled his eyebrows and smirked smugly at Henry when he noticed this. Henry laughed a little, shaking his head.

They unbuckled their harnesses as the landing ramp descended with a hiss of pressurized air and the whirring of hydraulics. Exchanging conspiratorial smirks at the successful completion of the first step to them escaping, they turned and filed out of the small transport ship, Henry in the lead.

No sooner had Henry's foot touched the ground, his eyes down on the ground where he was stepping, than he heard a cut-off shout. As he turned to see what Riddick had shouted about, he caught sight of a steady flow of blood coming from Riddick's shoulder just before a solid blow was delivered to the back of his head, and his vision went black.


End file.
